Senate Passes Vote Of Confidence In Akpabio Amid Impeachment Fears

The Senate has passed a vote of confidence in its President, Senator Godswill Akpabio amid fears some dissatisfied senators from the North had made a fresh move to oust him.

THE WHISTLER reports Akpabio was shaken on Wednesday when news began to circulate that some senators in the north were moving to oust Akpabio.

Akpabio who tabled the impeachment reports before his colleagues during plenary on Wednesday prayed for investigation, which was tacitly approved.

However, to ensure he’s in control of the Senate, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State rallied his die-hard supporters on Thursday to revisit the issue immediately and obtained a vote of confidence asserting his authority.

Rising on a Point of Order, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, (PDP-Kebbi North) cited Orders 10 and 42 of the Senate Standing Rules, under personal explanation to draw the attention of the red chamber to the impeachment report.

He said, “It was reported that senators from the northern part of the country were plotting to impeach the leadership of the Senate led by Akpabio.

“I am a senior member of the Northern Senators’ Forum, and I can assure you that there is no attempt by any caucus among the northern senators to bring discord or any attempt to challenge the unity of what you are doing in the Senate.

“My privilege has been breached. Anyone trying to bring division across any regional line is undermining the progress of our democracy and the capacity of this institution to deliver.

“Therefore, we must rise and get united under the leadership to ensure that this kind of discourse is completely negated so that the kind of unity that we have forged in the last 18 months can be sustained and fully accomplished.

“I rise with you in the sense of your master heart, and I’m sure all of my colleagues also feel the same.

“For us to be characterised as either promoting or supporting or allowing anybody to bring the leadership of this institution down,” the senator said.

He continued, “I have never in my life associated with anybody in order to bring or to divide any institution along ethnic or religious lines.

“I think this is the work of some enemies, which should be resisted, and all of us should stand united behind the Senate leadership to make sure that this institution is preserved,” Abdullahi said.

Supporting the motion, Senator Abdul Ningi, (PDP-Bauchi Central) said, “I think it is important for some of us that are probably being seen as the front liners, to say, without a doubt…

“I move that we enforce our vote of confidence in both you, the President, and the entire leadership of the National Assembly in this regard. And I’m very positive that this is the way to go about it.”

Reacting to the motinon, Akpabio said, “On behalf of my brother, the Deputy Senate President, and the entire leadership, I assure you that the unity and the bond existing between us and the Senate will continue.

“No amount of people, no social media will come here to break that bond. I thank you for this, and we are very humbled.

“We are confident in this place; in the coming months and the coming years, we will justify the confidence that you have placed in us. Thank you.”