10th NASS: Akpabio told to step down as Senate President

The Coalition for Parliamentary Democracy, CPD, has told the Senate President to step down.

According to the group, the Senate President has reportedly fallen out of favour with his colleagues.

CPD said this in reaction to claims from Akpabio’s office that “one South-South Governor” was behind the plot to impeach him.

The group said the former Akwa Ibom State Governor must stop pointing accusing fingers and rather come clean on why other lawmakers do not want him in the position.

This was contained in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Dr. Menike Johnson and made available to newsmen on Wednesday.

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CPD said the Senators had clearly adduced Akpabio’s perceived “failure to fit into the duties of a Presiding Officer and providing a transparent and credible leadership as reason for their decision to move against him.”

“As Parliamentary watchers, we believe that Senator Akpabio should face the issues raised by his colleagues, including allegations of lack of transparency, violation of elementary rudiments, conventions and processes of presiding over the Senate, diminishing the integrity of the Senate on financial matters and claims of preferentialism in the management of the Senate.

“The attempt to overheat the polity by blaming external individuals is therefore a self-indicting measure that does not provide the much-expected answers to the very critical issue of leadership failure raised by senators against the embattled Senate President.

“Having admitted that he has lost favour with his colleagues and having no answers to the very serious issues raised by the Senators which borders on leadership failure, we counsel Senator Akpabio to save the nation further trouble by stepping down as Senate President.

“Our nation is in a very critical moment and Nigerians cannot afford a Senate that is plagued by an unstable leadership which does not command the loyalty of the lawmakers”, the group claimed.