Akpabio Breaks Silence on Abbo’s Allegation of Masterminding Removal of 5 Senators from Senate

• Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied the accusations by former Senator Elisha Abbo that he orchestrated the removal of five senators
• Abbo, sacked by the appeal court, alleged that Akpabio was targeting lawmakers who opposed him and was also running the Senate as a personal empire
• Akpabio, in reaction, described the allegations as baseless and reaffirmed his respect for the judiciary and commitment to national leadership

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations by former Adamawa North Senator, Ishaku Elisha Abbo, that he masterminded the removal of five senators from the 10th Senate.

Abbo, who was sacked by the appeal court, had alleged during an interview on Channels Television and Arise TV News, that Akpabio was running the Senate like a personal empire and targeting lawmakers who opposed him.

"Senate President Akpabio took me to the chapel in his house and told me 5 senators will be removed from the senate, and just like he said, 5 of us were removed," - Elisha Abbo claimed.

Read also

Breaking: Court bars parties from granting interviews in Natasha’s case against Akpabio

Reacting, Akpabio, through his special adviser on media and publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, dismissed the allegations.

Akpabio stated that he would not be distracted by unfounded accusations.

Senator Abbo blames Akpabio for his ouster

Legit.ng reported earlier that Senator Abbo accused the Senate president of orchestrating his travail at the appellate.

Senator Abbo alleged that he heard from a reliable source that the next target of Akpabio was Senator Orji Uzor Kalu from Abia state.

According to the embattled senator, the Senate president planned to remove him and four other senators because they worked against him during the Senate presidency.

Akpabio replies Abbo

Speaking on Abbo's claims, Eyiboh said Akpabio would remain focused on the noble task of nation-building and providing purposeful leadership in the Senate.

The statement read:

“It is sad and regrettable that despite publicly retracting a similar allegation in 2023—after admitting that his earlier accusation was ‘premature and based on the available information at our disposal’ – Mr. Abbo has once again embarked on a campaign of misinformation and blame transfer.

Read also

Assassination allegation: Natasha drops fresh challenge for Akpabio

“It is therefore both illogical and irresponsible for Mr. Abbo to now turn around and allege that the Senate President influenced a court judgment – a judgment which he himself accepted at the time and for which he expressed contrition for his earlier unfounded claims. (see Punch newspaper of 18th October, 2023).”

Abbo spoke amid the ongoing legal battle between Godswill Akpabio and Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Legit.ng recalls that Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her, leading to her six months' suspension and ongoing court drama.

Watch Abbo's interview below:

Read more about Elisha Abbo and Akpabio here:

• "Your days are numbered in politics", Natasha tells Akpabio, Bello, thanks INEC
• Elisha Abbo: Sacked APC senator in fresh trouble over bribery allegations against appellate court

Senate swears in Elisha Abbo’s replacement

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Senate had sworn in Amos Yohanna as the elected senator of the Adamawa North Senatorial District.

Read also

Judge withdraws from Natasha’s suit against Akpabio, others, reason emerges

The lawmaker was inaugurated at plenary on Wednesday, October 25, replacing the sacked Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo.

Senator Abbo lost his bid to retain his seat at the appellate court despite his victory at the election petition tribunal.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng