Akpabio Is Paranoid, Thinks I Am The Devil – Oshiomhole

The Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, has alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio harbours suspicion and bias against him despite his contributions to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the electoral success of President Bola Tinubu.

Naija News reports that Oshiomhole made the remarks during the Sunday edition of Mic On Podcast, amid lingering controversy over his recent comments on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The former Edo State governor claimed that Akpabio had developed an unfounded perception of him and would prefer to exclude him from Senate affairs if given the opportunity.

“Don’t forget that I was a founding governor of the APC and Deputy DG of Bola Tinubu Campaign Council that gave us victory. I’m not saying I am responsible for the victory, but I worked for it, and I’m happy we got it,” Oshiomhole said.

“He is so paranoid about anything that has to do with me. Everybody in the Senate knows that if Senator Akpabio has his way, he will lock me out of the Senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I am probably the devil he knows. There are many angels he doesn’t know.”

The senator, however, said he remained focused on representing his constituents and had no personal ambitions that should worry the Senate President.

Oshiomhole also predicted that the next Senate leadership arrangement would differ significantly from the current one, citing what he described as growing dissatisfaction among senators.

“The 11th Senate will not be like the 10th, this I can say. It can’t be. Senators are grumbling about his style of leadership. But we try to manage, and I’ve tried to assure him that, ‘Look, Mr Senate President, I am a very fulfilled person,’” he said.

“Whatever job I am given to do, I ask God to give me courage and even greater wisdom to do that job to the satisfaction of my constituents. The Senate President’s bias against me is very well known. I will not join in speculating as to the reason for his bias.”

The former governor further alleged that Akpabio becomes uncomfortable whenever he engages in discussions with certain lawmakers.

According to him, the Senate President once questioned the intentions of Senator Abdulaziz Yari when he sought to serve on the Senate Committee on Interior, which Oshiomhole chairs.

“Many people in the Senate know. In fact, if I go around the floor of the Senate and I go greet certain persons and we have conversations, the man becomes uncomfortable,” he said.

“I will give you an instance. Senator Yari approached the Senate President and said that he wanted to be the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior. I am the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior.

“The Senate President said to him, ‘So you want to join Senator Oshiomhole to plan how to remove me as Senate President?’ But I just laugh it off.”

Oshiomhole stressed that the Senate President remains accountable to fellow lawmakers, noting that leadership in the upper chamber is determined by the will of senators.

“If you understand the way the Senate works, the Senate President is first among equals. Only the persons favoured by the senators are elected,” he said.

“Remember, if Senator Yari had got the majority, he could have become the Senate President. It is not about what anybody wishes. It is about who the senators want.”

Oshiomhole’s remarks come days after the Senate publicly distanced itself from his description of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”

The Senate clarified that the comments reflected his personal views and not the official position of the Red Chamber.

Last week, the Senate also adopted a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, stating that no Senate committee has the authority to issue or execute a warrant of arrest without strict compliance with the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and the approval of the Senate President.

The resolution followed reports that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts had recommended the issuance of a warrant of arrest against former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, over his alleged failure to honour invitations by the committee.