FACT-CHECK: Akpabio lies, misinforms Nigerians about Senate under David Mark

Senate President Godswill Akpabio misinformed Nigerians about legislative activities in the upper chamber during the Sixth and Seventh Assemblies of the Senate led by David Mark, a PREMIUM TIMES fact-check shows.

Mr Mark, a retired Nigerian Army brigadier-general, served as the senate president between 2007 and 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was a five-term Benue South senator from 1999 to 2019.

Last Thursday, during the plenary, Mr Akpabio said the Senate, under Mr Mark’s leadership, held plenaries from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to make the timing convenient for the lawmakers.

The Claim

The senate president said the official time for plenary under Mr Mark’s leadership was 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

“When Distinguished Senator Mark was senate president and even the practice, he met on the ground; Senate was sitting at 2 O’clock because they used the morning period to meet with the diplomatic communities, to do a lot of engagements with the civil servants and public officers and then they start their sitting by 2 O’clock.

“Officially, they had 2 O’clock to 5 p.m., and I know that many of you also would like to do the same, meet with most of the agencies, conclude, even open your public hearings before coming for sittings, but it is not for the public to know because the public only thinks that we sit here alone,” Mr Akpabio said.

The senate president spoke when the lawmakers debated a proposal to reschedule their plenary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Checking the Claim

To fact-check the claim by Mr Akpabio, PREMIUM TIMES utilised human and official documentary sources.

The first is the Senate Rule which was the official document that guided the activities of the Senate under Mr Mark.

This newspaper also reviewed the Votes and Proceedings which is the official record of the daily happenings at the Senate on the days that plenary was held.

This newspaper then spoke to a senator who was a lawmaker when Mr Mark was senate president, as well as journalists and civil society activists who covered the Senate during the period.

The Findings

According to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m.

Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: “On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity ‘that this Senate do now adjourn’ and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.”

A review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed.

Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper’s observation.

Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

“No, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,” he said.

An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure.

“It is not correct,” the aide told PREMIUM TIMES.

“From 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,” he added.

The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries.

Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time.

ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same.

“It never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss.

“It can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,” Mr Aborisade said.

Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days.

“The time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,” Mr Pius said.

Verdict

The claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false.

This is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper.

Repeated misinformation

Mr Akpabio’s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians.

During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed that state governors received N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false.

The governors criticised him, and he subsequently apologised for the action.

Consequences of Akpabio’s gaffes

Mr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria’s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country’s National Assembly.

He also said citizens, researchers and diplomats would no longer trust Nigerian leaders.

“Inaccurate or misleading information can lead to ill-informed decisions, which can have far-reaching and detrimental effects on the country. It can erode trust among members, stakeholders, and the public, making it challenging to build consensus and pass legislation. It can also cause confusion, leading to delays or blockages in the legislative process, hindering the assembly’s ability to address critical issues.

“If information is not accurate, it can cause misallocation of resources, leading to inefficiencies and wastage. Capping it all, the National Assembly’s reputation can suffer if misleading information is grounded, undermining its credibility and legitimacy,” he said.

Mr Odili also maintained that the country’s democracy may be threatened if the senate president continues to spread misinformation.

“Act of deceit cannot promote democracy. A situation where the senate president is misleading Nigerians with wrong information cannot foster the democracy of our dreams.

“There was seriousness and promptness in the business of the Red Chamber during David Mark’s Senate Presidency. There was diligence and hard work. To tell Nigerians that the Red Chamber commenced plenaries between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. under David Mark is misleading and deceptive aimed at promoting laziness at the Senate,” the CD leader said.