‘This Is The Level Of His Vindictiveness’ – Senator Abbo Makes Fresh Allegations Against Akpabio

Former lawmaker representing Adamawa North in the National Assembly, Elisha Ishaku Abbo, has accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of orchestrating the removal of five senators, including himself.

Naija News reports that Abbo during an interview on Arise News programme on Wednesday night, April 2, 2025 alleged that Akpabio is running the Nigerian Senate like a personal empire and targeting senators who oppose his views.

Abbo, who supported Senator Abdulaziz Yari’s bid for Senate President, said Akpabio privately met with him attempting to induce him with personal appeals and financial incentives.

He said, “He told me that five senators would be removed. I asked how he knew, and he said, ‘I am the Senate President. I know.’ True to his words, five of us were removed. I had no idea that I was one of them.

“He came to my hotel room around 2 AM, asking for my support. I told him I was already committed to Yari. Later, at a meeting at Transcorp Hilton, $10,000 was being distributed, but I refused to take any money.”

He further accused Akpabio of denying him travel reimbursements, blocking his participation in an international parliamentary assignment, and withholding his official vehicle after he was removed from office.

He added, “Every other senator who was removed by the courts got their vehicles, but I was excluded. This is the level of vindictiveness displayed by Akpabio.

“Now, let’s look at Senator Ali Ndume. When he raised concerns about the way things were being run in the Senate, he was removed as Chief Whip and stripped of his position as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

“I also moved a motion to amend the Senate Standing Rules so that only senators who had served at least one term could contest for Senate leadership. But what did Akpabio do? He rewrote the rules to allow first-term senators to become leaders of both the majority and minority caucuses—just so he could control them.

“Do you know that in Akpabio’s house, senators serve him tea?

“Well, I am telling you now. And I told him, ‘You are no longer a governor. These senators are our colleagues, not your commissioners. They are not here to serve you tea.

“I have always defended the integrity of the Senate. The issue is the leadership, not the institution itself.”