Nigerian senators are angry with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio after revealing that they received bribe money from ministerial screening in a video that went viral on Wednesday, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Akpabio is heard in the video telling members of the upper legislative chamber that an undisclosed amount of money had been sent to each of them to enjoy their holidays.
Akpabio said this while addressing his colleagues before the adjournment of a motion moved by one of the senators.
In the viral video, Akpabio said, “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the clerk of the national assembly.”
But when his statement sparked a rowdy moment on the floor of the Senate, he rephrased the statement and said, “I withdraw that statement. “In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
However, SaharaReporters learnt that the senators are upset that Senate President Akpabio exposed that they are getting bribe money from ministerial screening. The aggrieved senators are unhappy about the ridicule and embarrassment the former Akwa Ibom governor’s unguarded statement has brought to them.
Sources in the National Assembly told SaharaReporters that N2 million was sent to each of the senators by Akpabio who had received N1 billion from ministerial nominees.
SaharaReporters learnt that the senators described Akpabio’s action as blackmail, to ensure they received the stick from their constituents for a “paltry sum” while he had pocketed the bulk of the bribe money paid to them.
“Senators are upset with Senate President Akpabio for exposing the bribe money they get for ministerial screening. A paltry N2 million was sent to each of them. They are angry that now Nigerians know how they are bribed to allow ministerial nominees to take a bow and go,” the source said.
“The Senate President collected over N1 billion from the screened ministers and sent only N2 million to the account of each of 109 senators, totalling N218 million,” another source said.
“He never disclosed to the senators the source of the N2 million each sent to their accounts. Rather, what Akpabio did was to blackmail the Senators on Monday night in an open live television cast that money had been sent to the accounts of Senators for holidays. Then the following morning, senators received only N2 million each in their accounts while the senate president pocketed hundreds of millions of naira.
“What a shame and highest treachery and blackmail by the Senate President. Senators are getting ready for a battle with him because this has pitched Senators against their constituents who never knew that they were given only N2 million each for the so-called ‘allowance for holidays/vacation.’”
SaharaReporters reported on Monday evening that the Senate had confirmed 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, only failing to confirm the nomination of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, former Deputy Governor of Taraba State, Senator Abubakar Danladi and ministerial nominee from Delta State, Stella Okotete.
According to Akpabio, the Senate did not clear the three because of security reports.
Former governors of Rivers, Zamfara, Osun and Plateau, Nyesom Wike, Bello Matawalle, Gboyega Oyetola and Simon Lalong respectively were some of the nominees confirmed.
