If Akpabio Had His Way, He Would Lock Me Out of the Senate”

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, has alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio harbours a strong bias against him, claiming the Senate President is uncomfortable with his influence within the National Assembly.

Speaking on the Sunday edition of Mic On Podcast, Oshiomhole pointed to his contributions to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory. “I was a founding governor of the APC and Deputy DG of Bola Tinubu Campaign Council that gave us victory. I’m not saying I am responsible for the victory, but I worked for it, and I’m happy we got it,” he said.

The former Edo State governor claimed Akpabio views him with suspicion despite his support for the party. “Everybody in the Senate knows that if Senator Akpabio had his way, he would lock me out of the Senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I am probably the devil he knows. There are many angels he doesn’t know,” Oshiomhole stated.

He also predicted that the next Senate would operate differently from the current one, citing growing dissatisfaction among lawmakers. According to him, several senators have privately expressed concerns about Akpabio’s leadership style. “The 11th Senate will not be like the 10th. It can’t be. Senators are grumbling about his style of leadership. But we try to manage,” he said.

Oshiomhole further alleged that Akpabio becomes uneasy whenever he interacts with certain senators. Recounting an encounter involving Senator Abdulaziz Yari, he claimed the Senate President jokingly suggested that Yari sought a committee position to work with him against the leadership. “The Senate President said to him, ‘So you want to join Senator Oshiomhole to plan how to remove me as Senate President?’ But I just laugh it off,” he said.

The remarks come days after the Senate distanced itself from Oshiomhole’s recent criticism of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).