BY OZOEMENA OSINACHI
The Nigerian Senators on Thursday, passed a vote of confidence in the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, and the entire leadership of the 10th Senate.
The upper chamber gave the confidence vote during plenary, following a reported false news on social media platforms that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) took over the National Assembly to prevent a plan to impeach Akpabio.
The report was however debunked as “fake news,” by the senate at Wednesday’s plenary urging the public to ignore the fake report
The Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, similarly issued a statement, dispelling the impeachment rumours of Akpabio, describing it as “unacceptable and unspeakable.”
Also, the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Sen. Basheer Lado, in a reaction on Wednesday evening, spoke of the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to encourage a harmonious working relationship between the legislature and the executive.
The resolution of the Senate yesterday was a sequel to a Point of Order raised by Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, PDP-Kebbi North, while reacting to the alleged reported impeachment move on the Senate President.
Citing Orders 10 and 42 of the Senate Standing Rules, under personal explanation, Senator Abdullahi, who drew the attention of the upper chamber to the said news publication, 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…
“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.
Senator Abdul Ningi, (PDP, Bauchi Central) while supporting the motion, 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.”
In his reaction, the Senate president Godswill 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.”