I only honoured EFCC invitation, i"ve nothing to hide - Akpabio

Following his Friday’s arrest and and eventual release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has returned to his Abuja residence, affirming that he has nothing to hide about his term in office as the governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio

Akpabio who served two terms, as governor of the state between 2007 and 2015, was invited, yesterday, at about 5. 20pm to the Abuja Headquarters of the EFCC, over a petition dated June 22, 2015 and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC.

The petitioner, Leo Ekpenyong alleged that Akpabio, fraudulently converted N108.1 billion belonging to Akwa Ibom State during his tenure as governor.

Akpabio, who honoured the anti-graft agency’s invitation, accompanied by a few aides and his lawyer, Ricky Tarfa (SAN), said via his Twitter handle, @SenAkpabio managed by his social media team, that he has arrived home some hours after.

The tweets read: “His Excellency, Senator Akpabio is back to the house. We want to reaffirm that he has nothing whatsoever to hide about his term in office in Akwa Ibom.”

Earlier, @SenAkpabio had tweeted: “Senator Akpabio was never arrested. He simply obliged an invitation to come and answer some questions at the EFCC headquarters.

“Senator Akpabio has nothing to hide that’s why he walked into EFCC himself this evening to answer questions about his tenure in Akwa Ibom.

“Those who are playing politics with the decision of Senator Akpabio to honour the EFCC invitation must be acting a known script.

“Senator Akpabio was called from EFCC to come for explanations and he drove there himself 50 minutes later. So, why all the news of arrest?”

I only honoured EFCC invitation, i"ve nothing to hide - Akpabio

Senate: PDP criteria knocks Akpabio out of minority race

Senator Godswill Akpabio has said all senators in the National Assembly are equal.

The former Governor of Akwa-Ibom State said this when asked about his desire to vie for the position of Minority Leader in the Senate.

The party had said certain criteria must be met in choosing members of the party who would lead its members in the Senate.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, who reeled out the criteria on behalf of members of the National Working Committee of the party, listed ranking, region and gender among such criteria.

Though the party zoned the position of Senate Minority Leader to the South-South, where Akpabio hails from, he is however a first timer in the Senate.

This criteria knocks him out of the race.

“We have directed them to note that in accordance with the practice and convention of our party. The nomination process should take into consideration ranking, gender and religious sensitivities,” Metuh had said,

But after his meeting with members of the NWC in Abuja on Wednesday evening, the former governor said it was not the question of whether he had interest in the race, but his capacity to do the job.

Akpabio said, “I came (to see the NWC members) in my usual consultation with the party on national issues.

“(Interest in minority leader position) It is not a question of interest, it is a question of capacity. So if I have the capacity, my colleagues will decide.

“In the Senate, everybody is equal but some have been there for a long time like the ranking senators and all that. So, when you have the opportunity to be in the red chamber, you have equal rights to aspire to any position but you first have to be sure that your colleagues will be interested in you.

“If my name has been mentioned, probably by my colleagues, and I consult, and at the end of my consultations with stakeholders of our party across the nation, I will be able to make appropriate statement.”

He said the election of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was supported by embers of the ruling party in the Senate, the All Progressives Congress.

Senate: PDP criteria knocks Akpabio out of minority race

Reps in rowdy session over move to disband minority leadership

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday, witnessed a rowdy session, following the move by the Deputy House Leader, Honourable Leo Ogor, to have minority leadership of the House disbanded.

Trouble started when Honourable Ogor raised Privileges Order, standing on order 19 (1) (2), where he maintained that the leadership of the minority in the House should be disbanded, saying the present occupiers were All Progressives Congress (APC) members.

The development, he said, was in breach of the House Rules as it affected composition of minority leadership positions.

He added that the House rules provided that minority parties and not a party of the House should form the minority leadership.

According to him, “it behoves on the minority parties in line with item 31 of the House Rules, to nominate among themselves a new minority leader, minority whip, deputy minority leader and deputy minority whip.”

He stressed further that, “lawmakers sitting on the platform of the APC now were members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Accord Party and others, and, therefore are unknown to the House and since they were not a part of the nomination process for the leadership of the minority,  APC members must, therefore, vacate their seats.”

He, however, noted that members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and Accord Party should have a stake in the formation of the minority leadership, since the other opposition parties have formed APC.

Minority leader, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, faulted Honourable Ogor’s motion, saying the motion should have been raised by an opposition member instead of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker.

He added that “under our Rules of Privilege, you have to have locus before raising such a motion. If this matter of privilege was raised by a member of the opposition, then it will have locus. Our rules do not create room for a meddlesome interlopers. I have seen a letter nominating our leaders sitting here, but I have not seen any letter nominating any PDP member sitting as a principal officer.”

At this point, the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, called on key opposition members to speak on the issue raised by Honourable Ogor.

Leader of APGA caucus in the House, Honourable Lilian Ekwunife, said “I want to say who goes to equity, goes with clean hands. Since the formation of APC, we the opposition have not met to decide who will take positions. Rules 32,33, 35 and 36 define roles of different political parties and these provisions provide that all opposition parties must be represented on the leadership of the opposition.”

Speaking on behalf of Labour Party, Honourable Debo Ologunagba maintained that “composition of the opposition leadership violates our privileges as Labour Party members.”

Honourable Abiola Ajaja, who spoke on behalf of Accord Party, also insisted that the composition of minority leadership as currently constituted violated the privilege of her party.

Ruling on the motion, Honourable Ihedioha referred it to House Committees on Rules and Business and Justice for further legislative action.

Reps in rowdy session over move to disband minority leadership