The impeachment threatened Senator Godswill Akpabio over the disbursement of ₦30 Billion Naira in palliatives to the state Governors to alleviate hunger and food scarcity compelled him to tender apology,OBSERVERS TIMES can authoritatively report.
OBSERVERSTIMES reports that during the plenary, Mr. Akpabio stated that, according to information available to him, in addition to the initial tranche of funds given to the governors, an additional ₦30 billion was disbursed to them through the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
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“I must say that unverified reports suggest that each of the state governments, in the last few months, has received an additional ₦30 billion from the Federal Inland Revenue Service outside their normal allocations from the Federation Account to assist them in ameliorating the food situation,” he said.
This statement did not sit well with the Governors’ forum, leading Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to counter the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, asserting that the federal government did not provide ₦30 billion to the state governments as claimed by the federal lawmaker.
Makinde clarified his stance during the inauguration of the renovated Iseyin Central Mosque in Iseyin, emphasizing that there is no validity to Akpabio’s claim. Akpabio had earlier suggested that every state received an additional ₦30 billion from the federal government to address food shortages.
However, Makinde, also serving as the Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, responded by asserting that Oyo State had not received any additional ₦30 billion from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) or the Federal Government.
The governor reiterated his commitment to alleviating economic hardships, stating that he has implemented measures, including the SAfER initiative announced on June 9, 2023. He cautioned against political gamesmanship during these challenging times, urging leaders to inspire confidence and hope in the citizens.
“Not satisfied with Governor enough, the Governor of Akwa-Ibom state,” said Senate President Akpabio, “was only prophesying into the future, which means he also agreed with his colleague from Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, that the purported ₦30 Billion Naira wasn’t real.”
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OBSERVERS TIMES exclusively gathered that the Senate President came under heavy political threat from the Governor’s forum, who had already motivated their senators from across the states to impeach the Senate President for revealing what were supposed to be classified documents, not meant for public disclosure, either as part of commending the President’s efforts or for political campaign purposes.
The governors agreed that they had spent extensively from campaigns down to the Supreme Court, and this was an opportunity to recover what was spent.
While others believe that since the allocation to the states can’t be tampered with at this moment due to the tension, this ₦30 billion Naira should be left at the discretion of the governors.
“Knowing well that the President is very much interested in Akpabio’s leadership in the Senate,” some of the governors informed Akpabio of the development and the need for him to retract that statement to avert the looming political catastrophe, which may consume his presidency.
“Akpabio, who understands the game of politics and the power the governors’ forums wield, has issued a statement retracting his earlier statements of thirty billion naira to the states with an apology.”
OBSERVERS TIMES can authoritatively report that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has offered an apology to the state governors for his remarks regarding the reported ₦30 billion hardship allowance they were said to have received.