Nigeria: Oshiomhole: Akpabio sees me as ‘The Devil’

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of bias against him, saying the Senate leader is suspicious of his influence and would exclude him from the chamber if he could.

Speaking on the _Mic On Podcast_ Sunday, the APC senator for Edo North said Akpabio becomes “paranoid” whenever he interacts with other senators. He cited an incident involving Senator Abdulaziz Yari, claiming Akpabio joked that Yari’s interest in the Senate Committee on Interior was part of a plan to remove him as Senate President.

“Everybody in the Senate knows that if Senator Akpabio have 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,” Oshiomhole said. He added that he could not explain the reason for the alleged bias, despite being a founding APC governor and deputy DG of Tinubu’s 2023 campaign council.

Oshiomhole also predicted a change in Senate leadership dynamics in the 11th Senate, saying many lawmakers are dissatisfied with Akpabio’s style. “The 11th Senate will not be like the 10th… Senators are grumbling about his style of leadership,” he stated.

He reminded that the Senate President is “first among equals” and only holds office with the support of senators. “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.