CSO Tackles Akpabio On Impeachment Report

A pro-democracy group, Coalition for Parliamentary Democracy (CPD), has faulted the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over the report on his impeachment, alleging that he instigated it.

The group further asked Akpabio  to step down from his position having admitted that he has fallen out of favour with his colleagues in the Senate.

Report emerged last week of a plan by some lawmakers to impeach Senate President Akpabio when they return from their long term recess.

A message circulated among northern senators last Saturday by Sen Elisha Ishaku Abbo, claimed that loyalists of Akpabio, sponsored the news report about the rumoured planned impeachment of the Senate president to set Northern Senators against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

CPD, while reacting to the impeachment  saga, counseled Senator Akpabio to stop pointing accusing fingers and rather come clean on why his colleagues wanted him ousted as Senate President.

CPD, in a statement by national coordinator, Dr. Menike Johnson, yesterday accused Senator Akpabio of seeking to heat up the polity by pointing accusing fingers whereas his colleagues had clearly adduced that his “failure to fit into the duties of a Presiding Officer and providing a transparent and credible leadership as reason for their decision to move against him.”

Insisting that the nation needs a very stable and united National Assembly at this critical time, CDP said Nigerians cannot afford to have a Senate that is plagued by an unstable leadership which does not command the loyalty of the lawmakers.

“As Parliamentary watchers we believe that Senator Akpabio should face the issues raised by his colleagues including allegations of lack of transparency, violation of elementary rudiments, conventions and processes of presiding over the Senate, diminishing the integrity of the Senate on financial matters and claims of preferentialism in the management of the Senate.

“The attempt to overheat the polity by blaming external individuals is therefore a self-indicting measure that does not provide the much-expected answers to very critical issue of leadership failure raised by senators against the embattled Senate President.

“Having admitted that he has lost favour with his colleagues; and having no answers to the very serious issues raised by the Senators which borders on leadership failure, we counsel Senator Akpabio to save the nation further trouble by stepping down as Senate President.

“Our nation is in a very critical moment and Nigerians cannot afford a Senate that is plagued by an unstable leadership which does not command the loyalty of the lawmakers”, CPD stated.