Nigeria’s 10th Senate was inaugurated on June 13, 2023. Godswill Akpabio became the Senate President in 2023. The members of the 10th Senate elected him after a closely contested election.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, won the election with 64 votes, defeating his closest rival, Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor of Zamfara, who secured 46 votes.
Many did not consider his election as Senate President a surprise, as he was the favoured candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was able to secure the support of many senators, including those from the opposition parties, to emerge victorious.
In his one year in office, Akpabio has dealt with major critics of President Bola Tinubu, including influential long-standing senators and a former governor.
The action of the Akpabio-led Senate on these influential politicians could have implications for the future political moves of the victims. They are listed below:
Ali Ndume of Borno South Senator
Ali Ndume was removed as the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate under Akpabio’s leadership due to his criticism of President Tinubu’s administration. He was replaced by Tahir Monguno (Borno North).
Ndume had called President Tinubu to address the country’s hunger and poverty, adding that the president has been “caged”.
His comment was seen as a patriotic warning. However, his removal from the position of Chief Whip was viewed as a response to his criticism.
Some have criticised the removal of Ndume, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who accused President Tinubu of displaying despotic tendencies.
Atiku also stated that the Senate’s action was an example of the upper chamber becoming a puppet in the hands of the President.
Borno South political leaders protested Ndume’s removal and gathered in Abuja to demand his reinstatement. Ndume has also spoken out about his removal, stating that he stands by his actions.
How long has Ndume been in National Assembly?
Ndume was first elected into Nigeria’s National Assembly in 2003. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State. He served in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011.
In 2011, Ndume was elected to the Senate, representing the Borno South Senatorial District. He was re-elected in 2015, 2019 and 2023.
Abdul Ningi from Bauchi
Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi South was suspended by the Akpabio-led Senate for three months in March 2024 for alleging that the 2024 budget was padded by N3 trillion. The allegation was against President Tinubu and the Senate leadership.
The Senate maintained that Ningi’s suspension was due to his violation of legislative rules, misconduct, and unethical behaviour for an interview he granted on BBC media regarding the 2024 Appropriation Act.
After spending two months away from the National Assembly, Ningi was recalled from suspension following a motion sponsored by Abba Moro, Olalere Oyewumi, and Osita Ngwu.
When did Ningi join the National Assembly?
Ningi has been a member of the National Assembly since 2007. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2007, representing the Bauchi Central Federal Constituency of Bauchi State. He served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015.
In 2015, Ningi was elected to the Senate, representing the Bauchi Central Senatorial District. He was re-elected in 2019 and is currently serving his third term.
Nasir El-Rufai
Though President Tinubu nominated the former Kaduna state governor as his minister, the Akpabio-led government rejected El-Rufai’s nomination, citing a security report by the Department of State Service (DSS).
The DSS cited several reasons for the rejection, including allegations of human rights abuses, unguarded public utterances, and a large number of petitions against him.
Many Nigerians were surprised by El-Rufai’s withheld confirmation. Due to his close relationship with President Tinubu, they saw him as a top contender for a ministerial position.
When did El-Rufai criticize Tinubu?
In 2019, El-Rufai was in Lagos for a seminal and boasted about retiring four godfathers in Kaduna, then urged Lagos to retire their godfathers.
The former governor of Kaduna state attended the 60th birthday webinar of his counterpart in Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola. He tactically spoke against Tinubu’s godfatherism when he said:
“I want to congratulate my brother, Ogbeni (Aregbesola), on his birthday. You know I’m your man any day. I’m not Asiwaju’s man, and you are Asiwaju’s man, but I am your man any day. Asiwaju and I have differences, but you and I have no differences.”
See the video of the seminar here:
El-Rufai was also the first politician in Nigeria to raise the alarm that President Tinubu’s administration has returned to fuel subsidy payments, although, according to him, many Nigerians are unaware of this development.
The former governor added that the government is now paying a higher amount on subsidies after measures to reduce the subsidy’s impact proved ineffective, leading to a policy reversal. He made this disclosure while responding to journalists’ questions in Maiduguri, Borno state, on April 15.
Thus, as noted by Demola Olanrewaju, an ex-media aide to former President Atiku Abubakar, in a tweet on Friday, June 7, said the president will neither forgive nor forget people like El-Rufai and Wike for their statements.
“Tinubu will fight him through proxies, weaken him from below and then deliver the final blow. This has started already.”
