Chairmen of committees of the 10th Senate have continued to lament on the leadership style of the president of the senate, Godswill Akpabio.
Some of the Senators who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity slammed Akpabio for treating them like children, accusing Akpabio of going behind the senators to ask Ministries, Departments and Agencies to be directly accountable to him and not the committee chairmen
The lawmakers who are in silent loggerheads with Akpabio over his disrespect to them and the institution of senate were reacting to Akpabio’s action on the signed N2. 176 trillion Supplementary Appropriation Act
Akpabio has reportedly betrayed the committee chairmen by having back deals with the MDAs which is against the norms of the senate
This is coming barely 48 hours after an altercation between senators and Akpabio took place in the chambers . Senators elected under the platform of the Labour Party, LP, berated the Senate President , over the appointment of senators Abba Moro and Osita Ngwu as Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively.
LP’s Tony Nwoye, representing Anambra North, said it was unfair for the Senate President to choose leaders for them.
“Are we your slaves? Why will the Senate President be picking leaders for us?,” Nwoye yelled at Akpabio.
“You have done your worst. You have pushed us to the wall. Meaning what? It is unfair. It is not about me, it is about the institution of the state.”
Reacting, Akpabio claimed the names were given to him by the Senate Minority Caucus, saying he only work with what is on his table.
“Minority put your house in order first. The Senate President can only work with what is before me. You have Senator Abaribe and Aliero, their names are not here”, he said.
Also the National Democratic Coalition in the United States has recently slammed the leadership style of the senate president.
This is as the group alleged that Akpabio lacked empathy for the suffering of the Nigerians.
The pro-democracy group also chided the Senate president for failing to carry other senators along in certain affairs of the upper chamber.
The call for his resignation was championed in a statement recently released to newsmen by the Executive Director of NADECO USA, Lloyd Ukwu.
The statement reads, “Akpabio has shown a 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 mocking laughter from his colleagues during plenary.
