Former Senator Elisha Abbo, who was removed from the 10th Senate following an Appeal Court ruling, has accused President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio of running the Red Chambers of the Nigerian National Assembly like a personal empire and targeting lawmakers who oppose him.
Speaking in a televised interview, Abbo alleged that Akpabio orchestrated the removal of five Senators, including himself.
He also criticized Akpabio’s handling of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, comparing it to a similar seat change dispute in the 8th Senate between Akpabio and then Senate President Bukola Saraki.
According to Abbo, Akpabio was neither suspended nor investigated at the time, but in Natasha’s case, he allegedly acted like an “Emperor,” ordering her suspension, withdrawing her security, and stopping her salary.
Abbo claimed that by withdrawing Natasha’s security, Akpabio was exposing her to potential harm.
He further accused the Senate of violating a Court injunction that barred it from investigating Natasha, describing her suspension as an act of contempt.
On the issue of Natasha’s recall, Abbo dismissed the process as fraudulent, stating that the Constitution requires over 250,000 signatures more than half of Kogi Central’s 500,000 registered voters for a valid recall.
He questioned how such numbers could be achieved, given that the voter turnout in the last election was only 27%.
Abbo also accused Akpabio of masterminding his removal from the Senate due to his role as the Director-General of Senator Abdulaziz Yari’s campaign for Senate President.
He recalled that Akpabio had approached him at 2 a.m. in his Transcorp Hilton hotel room, pleading for his support, which he declined.
The former Senator further alleged that during Akpabio’s campaign, Senators were offered $10,000 each to support him, but he refused.
According to Abbo, Akpabio had previously hinted at the removal of five senators, unaware that he himself would be among them.
Abbo claimed that after traveling to Kenya on a parliamentary assignment with $14,000 in expenses, the Senate refused to reimburse him.
He also alleged that while other Senators who left received their official vehicles, Akpabio deliberately withheld his
Citing the case of Senator Ali Ndume, Abbo said that despite being a key figure in Akpabio’s Senate Presidency campaign, Ndume was removed as Chief Whip after raising concerns about the way the Senate was being run.
Abbo criticized Akpabio’s leadership style, alleging that he strategically appointed first term Senators as Principal officers to maintain control over them.
He also accused Akpabio of treating fellow Senators like subordinates, claiming that some even serve him tea in his residence.
Regarding his removal from the Senate, Abbo described it as “judicial banditry,” alleging that the judge handled his case failed to order a rerun election in two Local Government Areas and 263 polling units, as required by law.
He claimed that after the ruling, the judge sent former Senate President, Ken Nnamani to beg him, implying that the decision was politically motivated.
Abbo called for the dismantling of the National Judicial Council (NJC), arguing that it has failed to discipline high-ranking judges.
He suggested that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) should instead take charge of judicial accountability by passing votes of no confidence against erring judges.
The Senate President is yet to react to these claims.
Editor Ken Eseni
