Opinion
Why Akpabio Should Not be a Scapegoat
By Ezinne Chinda
In the last couple of weeks, the unfortunate allegations of budget padding has raised a lot of dust in the National Assembly as well as the public domain. However, it is intriguing that what was initially perceived as a straight united fight between the National Assembly, as an institution, and one of its rebels, Senator Abdul Ningi, has gradually been narrowed down to an ambush against the President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio
This followed the insinuations in some circles that an estimated N18 billion worth of projects was allocated to the North East Senatorial District of Akwa Ibom State in the 2024 budget. Incidentally, that is Akpabio’s constituency which he shares with four other members of the House of Representatives.
The Special Adviser to the President of the Senate, Hon Eseme Eyiboh, was in his elements, has taken the media space by storm in a bid to set the records straight and lay the controversy to rest.
Given his political pedigree, especially his past role as former spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Eyiboh offered to speak from the podium of the defender of justice and fairness.
He started by offering a schematic erudition of the budget process that starts with the president laying his proposals before the National Assembly.
“By the effect of Section 4(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the legislative powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall rest on the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Appropriation Act is one of those laws.
“A National budget defines the objectives of financial planning through the mechanism of Estimate, Projection and Forecasts for future applications and it is a product of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Now you hear people say Akpabio did this and did that,” he said.
Temporarily putting aside his current official garb as Akpabio’s spokesperson, Eyiboh said:
“I am talking not as his spokesperson, but as a former member of the House of Representatives and the position of knowledge. I understand the gamut of appropriation.
“When the House of Representatives will pass its version and the Senate its version, they come for harmonization, so it is the input of 360 members and 109 senators and once it is harmonized, in the full glare of the public, nobody can foist his will on another person in any guise.”
Expressing the fact that Akpabio is first of all a senator and has a senatorial district that he should also cater for, Eyiboh said:
“In that his senatorial district there are four federal constituencies and those four honourable members are entitled to input constituency projects on the basis of their representations.”
Citing Section 4(1) of the Constitution, he affirmed that the National Assembly performs its role by scrutinizing the proposals, removing and adding as the institution deems fit.
As with a former legislator, Eyiboh was quick to reiterate the National Assembly’s powers. However, he was also firm to assert that his principal could not have singly determined the projects in the senatorial constituency without the involvement of the House of Representatives members of the constituency.
Speaking as an apostle of justice, he further queried: “What is justice? Justice is to every man his own due. Does Akpabio deserve the due of being tagged along with a national budget that the presidency and even the man who raised this issue even mentioned that he has N2b for federal interventions?”
Eyiboh appeared pained by the attempt to single out Akpabio as the maker of the budget. He was, however, circumspect in not abusing privilege or alluding to what other presiding and principal officials of the National Assembly got in the budget for their constituencies.
A member of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate had in a famous interview had said that “all fingers are not equal” implying that some of the ranking legislators in the Senate and the House of Representatives could have gotten more than ordinary members.
Eyiboh, however, wondered why the focus has been on Akwa Ibom North-East Constitutency.
“We should not take this thing and begin to attach to an individual,” he said against perceptions of a campaign of calumny directed at Akpabio.
The outings on TVC, AIT and ARISE Tv were also revealing as they provided opportunities to remove the negative adornments on the Senate President and the National Assembly.
Hear Eyiboh:
“If the National Assembly has the appropriation powers to add or to subtract, whatever they added can it be said to be padded? It cannot be said to be padded. The only person who can pad is that person who has no powers over that budget.”
When asked about the justice of suspending Ningi, Eyiboh put it down to the abuse of the privilege of his fellow lawmakers which led to a cross party unanimity for his sanction.
Eyiboh even highlighted the kind and soft heart of his principal, who used the power of the gravel to mitigate the harsher sentence that many of the lawmakers wanted passed on Ningi.
“The suspension of Senator Ningi is an institutional enforcement of its rule. It was a clear breach of privilege and deserving of the punishment as prescribed. Senator Ningi led NSF members to see the President of the Senate on what he claimed to be a consultant’s revelations, the President of the Senate told him that if he had gotten a consultant who gave him the revelation, he should bring the said document to the floor so that everybody would engage on it.
“But instead of bringing it to the floor of the Senate or bringing it at all, he went to BBC Hausa Service. That was a breach of privilege of other senators and an institutional anarchy”
He observed that the majority of the senators wanted Ningi suspended for up to one year or six months but the humane side of Akpabio, which the public may not know, through the power of the gavel, pushed it to a three-month suspension.
Ken Nnamani, a former president of the senate, says he did not beg Elisha Abbo, a former senator representing Adamawa north, on behalf of any judge after the ex-lawmaker lost his election case in court.
In October 2023, the court of appeal sacked Abbo and declared Amos Yohanna, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the Adamawa north senatorial election.
Appearing on Channels Television on Wednesday, Abbo said he was a victim of “miscarriage of justice”.
The former senator said Nnamani pleaded with him on behalf of a judge after he lost his election case in 2023.
Reacting in a statement, the former senate president described Abbo’s claim as “blatant lies”.
“My greatest surprise was to hear him state that Senator Ken Nnamani visited him to plead with him on behalf of a judge for the miscarriage of justice. This statement is a blatant lie. I do not know how Senator Abbo can boldly fabricate an event that never happened to buttress his allegation of judicial miscarriage against him,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I have never visited Senator Elisha Abbo at his house or anywhere. Up to this moment, I do not know where he lives. I have never discussed with him about his case, or any case pending or decided by any court of law in Nigeria.
“The only time I met with him was when he visited me in my house. It was more of a social visit by him. At this meeting, we never discussed his case or any case. I recall that when the matter of his political career came up, I advised him to avoid controversies as a young politician.
“The statements Senator Abbo made regarding me and his case are all fabrications. I believe I have had a sterling and distinguished public service career. I am determined to maintain my integrity and commitment to excellence till the end of my life.”
Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources, says the federal government plans to commence implementing the drill-or-drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Section 94 of the PIA gives operators a period of three years to begin oil production or relinquish the assets to the federal government.
Speaking during the Cross Industry Group (CIG) meeting held on Tuesday in Florence, Italy, Lokpobiri said it is in the best interest of the country that all inactive wells go to work.
He said the federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has provided every necessary incentive to ensure international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria run smoothly and profitably.
“Now, it is imperative for these industry players to match the government’s efforts with increased investment by announcing final investment decisions (FIDs),” he said.
Furthermore, Lokpobiri discussed “the challenges, expectations, and measures to enhance the sector’s contributions towards domestic energy needs and regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa”.
He emphasised that while IOCs have highlighted engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors as a challenge, “EPCs will not come unless they see strong commitments from industry players”.
“The government has done its part to provide the requisite and investment-friendly fiscals, the ball is now in the court of the IOCs and other operators to make strategic investment decisions that will drive increased production and sustainability in the sector,” he said.
“We must also recognise that domestic crude supply is essential to national energy security. The best solution to this challenge lies in increasing production, which will ensure a balance between domestic supply obligations and external commitments.”
The minister further urged industry players to explore collaborative measures, such as shared resources for contiguous assets and the release of underutilised assets to operators ready to invest in production.
The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), a leading Pan-African student body, has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Ogun State under Commissioner of Police (CP) Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, for its commitment to security and community engagement.
In a statement released on Thursday, the President of PSM Nigeria, Comrade Ambassador Okereafor Bestman, highlighted the CP’s efforts in strengthening collaboration between the police, stakeholders, and other security agencies to maintain peace and stability in the state.
“It is worthy of note that CP Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, has further fostered a harmonious working synergy between the police, stakeholders, and other security agents aimed at ensuring peace and tranquility in Ogun State,” Okereafor said.
The student leader expressed confidence in CP Ogunlowo’s leadership, stating that Ogun State is on track to becoming one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria under his administration.
He also praised the professionalism and dedication of the Ogun State Police Command in tackling crime, regardless of its scale.
Additionally, PSM acknowledged the Ogun State government’s continued support for security agencies, particularly in providing mobility and logistics to enhance their operational efficiency.
The commendation comes at a time when security remains a top priority for residents and authorities in the state, with ongoing efforts to curb crime and ensure public safety.