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The President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio has been told to resign from the position or face impeachment.
The United States of America (USA) chapter of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) made the call in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday by its executive director, Lloyd Ukwu, Esq.
The statement accused Akpabio of turning the upper legislative chamber into an extension of the presidential villa thereby making the lawmakers a rubberstamp for everything that comes from President Bola Tinubu and the executive.
The Senate President was also accused of naivety, immaturity and high-handedness in managing the affairs of the Senate, thereby subjecting the National Assembly to ridicule.
The group also accused Akpabio of lacking respect for his colleagues in the National Assembly and showing absolute disdain for the Standing Rules of the Senate as regards the order of proceedings, vibrant debates during plenary and thorough scrutiny of executive communications and Bills.
NADECO alleged that since the commencement of the 10th National Assembly, Akpabio often resumes plenaries late and unduly extends the time of sitting while still failing to create time for reasonable legislative inputs from the lawmakers on sensitive bills.
The statement by Ukwu said: “However, Akpabio is fond of keeping communications from the President which are supposed to be read during announcement time till the end of plenary like he recently did when he announced the last three ministerial nominees by the President towards the tail end of plenary.
“Only recently, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC – Borno South) and Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo (SDP – Nasarawa South) openly accused Akpabio of not giving Senators adequate opportunity to interrogate and scrutinize bills, especially money bills, and warned that history would judge him for approving executive requests and passing important legislations posthaste.
“Akpabio has equally showed lack of empathy for poor and suffering Nigerian masses when he recently turned a ‘let Nigerians breathe’ comment by a Senator into a pun which attracted a mocking laughter from his colleagues during plenary.
“For fear of being impeached, he recently caused an amendment to be made to the Senate Standing Rules to the effect that no first term Senator is qualified to vie for the position of presiding officer, a move which clearly violates relevant sections of the constitution which confers powers on Senators to freely choose presiding officers at their first sitting irrespective of ranking.
“He also rallies Senators to pass bills they have not seen or may never see the details. Above all, he treats and relates with Senators with disrespect like errand boys even as he continues to wear his former toga as the executive governor and dictator in Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo.”
Insisting that Akpabio was not fit to be the Senate President, NADECO said if the former Akwa Ibom Governor fails to resign, and the Senators also do not impeach him, the group would mobilize its members in USA and Nigerians in diaspora for a mass action to ensure that he vacates office.
It added that the influence of the group would be used to push international institutions and nations not to recognize the Nigerian Senate under the leadership of Akpabio.
“NADECO USA has received several petitions against Akpabio and his subservient leadership style as President of the 10th Senate.
“Therefore we are ready to take necessary actions to ensure that the US parliament and other parliaments across the world would henceforth not consider the Nigerian Senate under Akpabio as a serious and responsible institution.
“We will also use our reach, influence and powers to lobby to ensure that the 10th Senate under Akpabio is not accorded due recognition within the international community.
“It is regrettable that since assumption of office, Akpabio has converted the National Assembly into an annex of the Presidential Villa.
“He has connived with the executive to approve loans and other adverse requests without following due process or allowing Senators to adequately make germane input through robust debate,” Ukwu said.
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