I won’t step down over false allegations —Akpabio

Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has said that critics calling for his resignation over what he described as “false allegations” are dreamers, declaring that he will never step down.

Akpabio made the remark on Thursday during the Senate plenary in Abuja while responding to comments by the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele.

The Ekiti lawmaker was delivering his closing remarks on the passage of the tax reform bills when he stated that the Senate remained focused despite criticism from “uninformed” individuals who believed Akpabio should resign.

“Mr. President, those who felt that you should have stepped down can now see that this Senate remains focused,” Bamidele said, adding that no amount of external distractions would derail the legislative body’s work.

However, Akpabio interjected before Bamidele could conclude, insisting he would never step down because the allegations against him were baseless.

Although Akpabio did not specify the allegations, he criticized his detractors for spreading false narratives about him on social media.

He appeared to make a veiled reference to a recent Court of Appeal decision in Calabar, which upheld the conviction of Prof. Peter Ogban—who was sentenced in 2021 for falsifying the 2019 senatorial election results in Akpabio’s favor.

Akpabio ran again in 2023 and eventually emerged as Senate President.

Following the court ruling, some commentators called for his resignation, arguing that he no longer had the moral standing to lead the Senate.

But the Senate President gave a firm response: “I will not step down over false allegations.”