Veteran journalist and politician, Chief Dele Momodu, has said that Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is not the same person he once knew. Momodu made this statement during an interview on Channels TV, where he noted that Akpabio, who was once a bold and effective governor, now appears to be afraid of something.
Momodu, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), explained that while he was never close to Akpabio, he respected the work he did as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State. However, he believes that Akpabio has changed since becoming the Senate President.
According to Momodu, the current National Assembly, under Akpabio’s leadership, does not challenge the presidency. He suggested that if President Bola Tinubu wanted to stay in power for a third term, the lawmakers would quickly approve it without resistance.
He added that Akpabio’s apparent fear likely comes from the power of the Nigerian presidency, which is a very strong institution. Momodu believes that this is why the Senate President may be unwilling to take independent decisions.
His comments have sparked discussions about the independence of Nigeria’s legislative arm and the possibility of a constitutional crisis if a third-term agenda is ever introduced.
“The good side in Akpabio was that he delivered as Governor of Akwa Ibom State. I don’t know what became of him after. You know what usually happens is that today people say he is leading a rubber-stamping Senate, perhaps out of fear of the presidency.
“The Nigerian presidency is the most powerful president, maybe after Donald Trump, if not on equal level.
“Nigeria’s presidency is so powerful that one Minister, Chief Alex Akinyele, once told me under Babangida government that a Nigerian president can turn a man into woman and a women into man. So what I see in Akpabio today is a man who is afraid of something. A man who will do anything.
“If Tinubu says tomorrow I want a third term, I can bet you in five minutes, they will vote for him, so I don’t know what happened but as Governor you know he had executive powers and with executive powers, there is much more you can do for your state and that was my admiration for him,” Momodu said during the interview monitored by Naija News.
