The all-powerful Senate President Godswill Akpabio, By Jibrin Ibrahim

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio

As a student of power, I can see clearly that the All-Powerful Senate President, Godswill Akpabio is at his zenith and he has no hesitation using his power in a direct and brazen manner. I was glad to see women from the North of Nigeria expressing strong disapproval when the Senate President made disrespectful remarks directed at Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in plenary. In a statement released and signed by the 20-member body Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), the women condemned Akpabio’s actions as a blatant display of disrespect and gender bias. The release, titled “Restoring Integrity: The Imperative of Respecting Female Senators in Nigeria’s Democracy,” stated, Senator Akpabio’s remarks go beyond an isolated insult; they symbolize the maintenance of gender hierarchies and the silencing of female voices in critical political spaces.” They further noted that this is not the first instance of such behaviour from Senator Akpabio; he recently silenced Senator Ireti Kingibe in a similarly dismissive manner, underscoring what they described as a troubling pattern.

They made the point that comparing a female senator’s parliamentary conduct to nightclub behaviour is both sexist and an explicit attempt to bully and trivialize her contributions, diminishing her standing as a legitimate political actor. Such comments from the Senate President undermine the integrity of the Senate and contribute to a culture where women are undervalued and disrespected.

Among the notable signatories were Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, CEO of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF); Nguyan Shaku Feese; Senior Strategic Adviser for the DFID Funded, Teacher Development Programme (TDP), Hajiya Saudatu Mahdi, Secretary General of Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA); Amina Salihu, Deputy Director Nigeria, MacArthur Foundation; Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Co-Founder of Sesor Empowerment Foundation.  Other prominent figures include Fatima Akilu, Executive Director of the Neem Foundation and former special advisor on national security; Ene Ede, a leading gender activist and advisor; Maryam Uwais, former special advisor on social investments to President Muhammadu Buhari;  Kadaria Ahmed, Nigerian journalist and CEO Radio Now,  and Aisha Waziri, co-founder of Revive Nigeria Group and former candidate for House of Representatives from Borno State. Prominent activists and leaders such as Zainab Salihijo,  Asmau Joda, Ene Orgah, Larai Ocheja Amusan, Mairo Mandara, and Maryam Lemu were also part of the group.

These women from North Central, North East, and North West Nigeria noted that in a functioning democracy, especially a nascent one like Nigeria’s, every voice must be respected, regardless of gender. Dismissing female leaders with misogynistic comments undermines robust debate and diverse perspectives, which are crucial for effective policy making. Following massive criticism of his behaviour by Nigerians, Senator Akpabio apologized for his words to the Distinguished Lady that the Senate is not a nightclub then spoilt it by stating that he had to apologise because he and his wife had been inundated by massages of complaint that crashed their phones and that he has daughters who he wants to be respected.

On the case of Senator Ireti Kingibe, Senate President Godswill Akpabio advised Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT),  not allow himself to be distracted by Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the nation’s capital. He was bringing down his Senate colleague not in the Chamber but at a public event for the flag-off of the construction of a bus terminal in the Kugbo area of Abuja. The senate president said he watched Kingibe on television, complaining that she was not being carried along by Wike in the affairs of the FCT: “I saw one of the legislators on television talking about you (Wike) and mentioning the fact that she was not carried along,” Akpabio said. He continued that:  “Well, she is a member of the senate. Once a decision is taken, she is bound by the decision. Please ignore every distraction.”

Akpabio’s public denunciation of his Senator colleague for promoting the interests of her constituency is unfortunate. Senator Kingibe while standing on an order of privilege had complained in the Senate that the FCT Minister was not allowing he pursue the interests of her constituents. Senator Akpabio had a duty to defend the work of his colleagues but chose to demean her. This cannot be legislative leadership especially as the matter being discussed by the upper legislative chamber was considering a N98.5 billion supplementary budget for the FCT, which the senator said she did not know anything about. “Though I am in the committee of the FCT, whenever matters — critical matters of budget or anything to do with the FCT are being discussed, I am never told,” the senator had said. The immediate response of Senator Akpabio was to interrupt Kingibe and asked her to present the matter on the next legislative day. It is interesting that he did not allow the matter come up again the next day as he had promised. It was thereafter that Kingibe granted an interview to Arise Television, to which the senate president referred in his comments during the flag-off of the bus terminal project.

The idea of bullying the Senate into compliance with what the Oga wants is totally unacceptable and cannot be sustained in this country. The Senate recently sacked its Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, for criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The upper chamber replaced Mr Ndume, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Borno South Senatorial District with Tahir Monguno (Borno North). The idea that a legislator has no freedom of speech when he is commenting about concerns on the ruling party is anathema to the very idea of being a legislator. The fact that the decision was taken after receipt of  a letter from Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the APC, and Bashir Ajibola, the party secretary, which the senate president read during the plenary is a scandal. In the said letter, the APC national leaders recommended that the Senate relieve Mr Ndume of his position because of his “unguarded utterances” that are “against the federal government.” The party is therefore confirming what all pundits have been saying that the current National Assembly have been turned into praise singers of the Administration. Senator Ndume’s crime was saying that President Tinubu has been “caged” in the Presidential Villa and that some forces are preventing well-meaning people from physically discussing the truth with him. As rule by cabals has become the tradition in Nigeria, blocked access to power has been the political reality of the country. It is good advice to say the President should remove the gatekeepers that have caged him. Remember the speech from Kenyan Vice President who castigated the gatekeepers that refused to let President Ruto know that his Finance Bill was totally unacceptable to Kenyans. Punishing a Senator for giving good advice is very bad politics.

Now that legislators know that they have no freedom of speech and they are unhappy about it, they are bound to start thinking about the best pathway to happiness. As Senator Akpabio will not give them happiness, I suspect they will search for happiness elsewhere. Watch out.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.