“Senators Serve Akpabio Tea at Home” – Abbo Accuses Senate President of Running Senate Like Personal Empire

Former Senator for Adamawa North, Ishaku Elisha Abbo, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of turning the Nigerian Senate into his personal empire and orchestrating the removal of lawmakers who oppose him. Speaking during an interview on Arise News Channel’s PrimeTime show, Abbo alleged that Akpabio was directly involved in the removal of five Senators from the 10th Senate, including himself, as part of efforts to suppress dissenting voices.

Abbo recounted that Akpabio had privately informed him about the planned removal of certain lawmakers before it happened. According to him, the Senate President explicitly stated that five Senators would be ousted, and when Abbo inquired how he knew, Akpabio allegedly responded, “I am the Senate President. I know.” He claimed he was unaware at the time that he would be among those removed.

The former lawmaker also accused Akpabio of attempting to secure his loyalty through personal appeals and financial incentives ahead of the Senate presidency election in 2023. He described an instance where Akpabio allegedly visited his hotel room at 2 a.m., seeking support for his bid. Abbo further claimed that during a meeting at Transcorp Hilton, cash incentives of $10,000 were being distributed to Senators, but he refused to accept any money.

Abbo also alleged that after his removal, he was deliberately sidelined and denied certain entitlements that other affected Senators received. He pointed out that while others received official vehicles, he was excluded, describing this as an act of vindictiveness on Akpabio’s part.

The former Senator linked his fallout with Akpabio to his push for amendments to the Senate Standing Rules, which sought to prevent first-term Senators from contesting for leadership positions. He claimed that Akpabio countered this move by rewriting the rules to allow first-term Senators to hold leadership positions in both the majority and minority caucuses, ensuring greater control over them.

Citing further instances of what he described as Akpabio’s authoritarian leadership, Abbo referenced the case of Senator Ali Ndume, who was removed as Chief Whip and stripped of his role as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations after questioning the Senate leadership.

Abbo also revealed that Senators were regularly made to serve tea at Akpabio’s residence, a practice he strongly opposed. He recounted telling the Senate President, “You are no longer a governor. These Senators are our colleagues, not your commissioners. They are not here to serve you tea.”

Despite his criticisms, Abbo clarified that his concerns were not about the Senate as an institution but about its leadership under Akpabio. “I have always defended the integrity of the Senate. The issue is the leadership, not the institution itself,” he concluded.