‘I Cannot Be Initimidated’ – Senator Kawu Fires Back As Senate Leadership

A heated confrontation reportedly broke out during a closed-door session of the Senate on Tuesday after Senator Kawu Sumaila clashed with the Senate leadership over comments on government contracts and committee appointments.

Kawu, who represents Kano South Senatorial District, was said to have criticised the state of project execution nationwide despite the National Assembly’s approval of several loans requested by President Bola Tinubu.

Sources familiar with the meeting who spoke with Sahara Reporters, said the senator complained that many contractors had not been paid, leading to abandoned project sites.

According to accounts of the meeting, Kawu warned that the situation could affect the electoral chances of lawmakers and the ruling All Progressives Congress.

He reportedly told senators that “contractors were not paid despite huge loans that this Senate has approved for President Tinubu, yet the contractors were not paid and project sites were abandoned by contractors.”

He was also said to have warned that many senators, especially those in the APC, “cannot campaign effectively for their re-election and that of President Tinubu because of this.”

The remarks reportedly angered the Senate leadership, leading to an exchange involving Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele.

Sources claimed that Bamidele referenced an alleged agreement involving Kawu, the Senate leadership and President Tinubu before the senator defected to the APC.

According to the account, Akpabio and Bamidele told senators that Tinubu had facilitated a N90bn ecological contract in Kano for Kawu.

They also reportedly said the President directed the Senate leadership, after the death of former Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, to hand over the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream to Kawu.

A Senate source said, “Kawu’s comments infuriated the Senate President and the Senate Leader, who then exposed the deal Senator Kawu had with the Senate leadership and President Tinubu before he defected to the APC.

“According to them, the arrangement led to the award of a N90 billion contract and Kawu’s appointment as Chairman of the Petroleum Downstream Committee.”

Kawu reportedly rejected the comments and accused the Senate leadership of trying to intimidate him.

The source added, “The Senate Leader viewed Kawu’s remarks as a betrayal and a threat, but Kawu remained unyielding, insisting that he could not be blackmailed or intimidated into suppressing his views.

“He told them they could take back both the Petroleum Downstream Committee chairmanship and the contract.”

Witnesses said the senator angrily declared, “I cannot be blackmailed by them.”

He was further quoted as saying, “The Senate President and Senate Leader cannot blackmail me. They should take their chairmanship of the Downstream Committee and also take their N90 billion ecological contract instead of blackmailing me and trying to silence me because I spoke the mind of the majority of senators in the closed-door session.”

According to the account, Kawu maintained his position throughout the confrontation.

He reportedly insisted that he would not be intimidated for expressing his views during the closed-door session.

The senator was said to have told the leadership to take back the Petroleum Downstream Committee chairmanship and the alleged contract if they believed those positions could silence him.