‘I Love Muslim Religion’ – Akpabio

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared his love for Islam, saying he has supported Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca for 25 years and would not speak against a religion he respects.

Naija News reports that Akpabio made the statement during plenary on Thursday while responding to the backlash over his recent comment about suicide and the belief in heavenly rewards.

He said he had consistently sponsored Muslims to visit the holy city to pray for him and Nigeria, insisting that his remarks during Senate proceedings had been taken out of context and given a political meaning.

The controversy followed his comments on Tuesday during deliberations on the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who represents Cross River South Senatorial District.

During the debate, Akpabio said some young people contemplate suicide because “they believe seven virgins await them in the afterlife.”

The remark drew criticism from some commentators, who accused the Senate president of making disparaging comments about Muslims and their beliefs.

However, Akpabio said lawmakers were expected to disagree during debates as they worked towards making laws for the country.

“I love the Muslim religion. I send people to Mecca to pray for me and to pray for this country, and I do that even up to yesterday, and I have been doing that since the last 25 years,” he said.

He criticised those discussing the matter on television, accusing them of misinterpreting what lawmakers said during Senate proceedings.

“So I don’t know why people go and sit down on television and they try to misinterpret what we say here because politics is coming,” he added.

The Senate president cited his record as a former governor to support his position, saying he sponsored thousands of Muslims to the holy land and Christians to Rome and Jerusalem.

According to him, he sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the holy land and more than 10,000 Christians to Rome and Jerusalem.

Akpabio also said many Muslims work closely with him, adding that his relationships with them were based on mutual respect and brotherhood.

“My ADC for 19 years is a Muslim. I don’t recognize him as a Muslim. I recognize him as a brother; he’s from Azare in Bauchi State, the same thing with my CSO,” he said.

He added that a significant number of his staff members were Muslims, insisting that he had no reason to look down on Islam.

“There’s no way I will talk down on Muslim religion, so people who go out there to talk should study the personalities involved,” he stated.

‘Terrorists Are Neither Muslims Nor Christians’

Akpabio also warned against linking terrorism to any particular religion, saying people who carry out attacks should not use religious beliefs to justify killing themselves or others.

“Terrorists are not Muslims. Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others,” he said.

He maintained that Islam, as he understood it, forbids suicide and the killing of others.

“The Muslim religion that I know forbids suicide; it forbids killing,” he added.

The Senate president also referred to provisions in the Criminal Code and Penal Code relating to suicide, urging lawmakers to consider the issue carefully, including the distinction between people facing mental health challenges and those who deliberately take their own lives.

He said the debate on the Suicide Prevention Bill should focus on efforts to make laws that address suicide and related concerns rather than being reduced to a controversy over his remarks.

The Senate president maintained that disagreements among lawmakers were part of the legislative process, stressing that different views were necessary to produce effective laws.

“I don’t like the idea of people sitting down on television and trying to misinterpret what we discuss here in the Senate,” he said.

“We want to make the best laws, so we are bound to oppose each other, and we are also bound to support each other.”

He urged Nigerians to consider the final decisions reached by the Senate when assessing debates in the chamber.

“No matter the discussion, please take the final decision of the Senate into consideration,” Akpabio said.

The former Governor of Akwa Ibom State also called on Nigerians to focus on the issues being discussed rather than what he described as attempts to damage public officials’ reputations through the misinterpretation of their statements.