Ireti Kingibe Reacts To Akpabio’s Clip On Sending Token To Senators

The lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has on Wednesday reacted to the Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s utterance of sending tokens to senators for their recess.

Naija News earlier reported mild drama on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday following a controversial statement made by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

Recall that the Red Chamber, on Monday, concluded the screening and confirmation of 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees forwarded by President Bola Tinubu.

On Tuesday, the Senate forwarded the names of the confirmed minister-designates to the President and adjourned the plenary to September 26 to go on recess.

Addressing his colleagues during plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio said funds had been sent by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Magaji Tambuwal, to the Senators to “enjoy” their holidays.

He said: “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly.”

However, the Senate President was quickly informed by some principal officers that he was on live television and speaking before reporters.

Upon realizing the magnitude of his remarks, Akpabio swiftly withdrew his statement and said prayers had been sent to their mailboxes to assist them in going on a safe journey and return.

He said: “I withdraw that statement. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”

“In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly,” Akpabio told the senators before withdrawing the statement, describing the supposed disbursement as “prayers” sent to their “mailboxes”.

A development that has stirred up lots of reactions from the public.

However, in her reaction, Kingibe humorously  said on Channels Television’s Politics Today, “No, actually, I didn’t receive any prayers, but I’ll check my email for the prayers.”

She explained that such allowance payments might be “statutory things that we would have been paid anyway,” adding that she didn’t receive any allowances that were out of the ordinary.

The lawmaker said, “I don’t think it was anything extra that we’re supposed to be given. I certainly haven’t seen anything extra.”

But stating how the extra funds she gets paid is expended, Kingibe said, “I have a constituency office; I also have a development office where I do development programmes for the people, and hopefully, anything extra, I will put in any allowances.

“Obviously, I’m new (and) we’ve been paid very little. But as they come in, a lot of it will go towards funding that office, the development programmes.”