Twenty-four hours after a rumour circulated on some social media platforms about a plot to remove the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, senators passed a vote of confidence in him and the entire leadership of the 10th Senate on Thursday.
A visibly elated Akpabio showed appreciation, saying, “I am humbled; very humbled, but still obligated to put the question (on the confidence vote motion).
“I thank you for this, and we are very humbled. We will still do our best to serve you.”
The Senate’s Wednesday session was jolted by the news, which was false, indicating that the premises of the National Assembly had been taken over by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) deployed there to prevent the alleged plan to impeach Akpabio.
The rumour linked the planned action to senators of northern extraction, said to be shopping for a replacement for the former governor of Akwa Ibom State and a former minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
But, Akpabio, who by himself announced the news to a calm Senate session, described it as “fake.”
Northern senators, through Sen. Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, the chairman of their umbrella body, the Northern Senators Forum (NSF), also dismissed the news as false.
On Thursday, senators collectively took a step further to reinforce their confidence in the Akpabio leadership by unanimously passing a confidence vote in him.
Opposition senator, Yahaya Abdullahi (PDP, Kebbi-North), led the move that revisited the issue on Thursday. He rose to say that his privilege as a northern senator was breached by a news report accusing him of an imaginary plot he knew nothing about.
Abdullahi expressed shock that 18 months after the election of the leadership of the 10th Senate was decided, people could still carry fake news of a plot to remove Akpabio.
“I am a northerner and I can assure you that there is no attempt by any group or anyone to challenge your election.
“Anybody behind this is trying to bring division along ethnic and regional lines and undermine democracy”, he told the session.
He got the backing of Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi-Central), who stated, “I was taken aback as to where that story emanated from.
“There were attempts by some people outside this place to cause a collision between you and the northern senators.”
Ningi boldly told Akpabio that if northerners did not want him to continue as the president, “we will come out to tell you. This is who we are.”
He went on to move a motion on behalf of northern senators to pass a vote of confidence in Akpabio and other principal officers.
“We reinforce our confidence in your leadership and the entire National Assembly.
“I move that on behalf of northern senators, we pass a vote of confidence in the leadership of the Senate”, he said.
The motion was amended by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Abba Moro (PDP, Benue-South), to read that the entire Senate passed a vote of confidence in the leadership.
The motion was unanimously passed by senators present at the session, and laying the issue to rest.
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