Senate President Godswill Akpabio has refuted claims that senators were bribed with $15,000 to approve President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
On Tuesday, President Tinubu imposed the emergency rule on the oil-rich state, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for an initial period of six months. The President justified the decision by citing escalating violence, including explosions and pipeline vandalism linked to political unrest in the state.
By Thursday, both chambers of the National Assembly had ratified the proclamation through a unanimous voice vote. However, reports surfaced alleging that Akpabio had facilitated the distribution of bribes to senators in two installments: $5,000 on Tuesday and $10,000 on Wednesday, just before the vote.
Reacting through his Special Adviser on Media, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio dismissed the allegations as part of a smear campaign against him. Eyiboh insisted that the Senate President merely hosted a Ramadan fast-breaking event, a tradition he upheld in previous years, and questioned the motive behind associating it with bribery claims.
“Senator Akpabio has always hosted Ramadan fast-breaking events. He did it last year and repeated it this year. Why is it now being linked to bribery?” Eyiboh queried. “The allegations of distributing $5,000 or $10,000 are baseless fabrications aimed at fueling a malicious campaign.”
Meanwhile, a member of the Rivers Elders Council, Anabs Sara-Igbe, has called on President Tinubu to suspend FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, arguing that he is the real instigator of the crisis in Rivers State. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sara-Igbe criticized Tinubu’s suspension of Governor Fubara while allowing Wike to remain in office.
“The President has no constitutional authority to suspend an elected governor,” Sara-Igbe asserted. “Yet, he refuses to take action against the minister who is at the center of this crisis. Why sanction one party while protecting the other?”
The elder statesman accused Wike of fueling political tensions in the state and urged the President to act fairly. “If two children are fighting, you punish both of them, not just one. By sparing Wike, the President’s actions appear biased.”
The controversy surrounding the emergency rule in Rivers State continues to stir political debates, with opposition voices questioning the legality and fairness of Tinubu’s decision.
