Eseme Eyiboh, the media aide to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed allegations made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Atiku accused Akpabio of corruption and misconduct towards women during an interview.
In response, Eyiboh said Akpabio respects Atiku and will not engage in a public argument over the claims. He also questioned whether Atiku was the right person to speak on corruption in Nigeria.
“Is Atiku the proper person to discuss corruption in Nigeria, from your knowledge of history? So what is his history when it comes to corruption? Is he the proper person to take us on that?” Eyiboh asked.
Speaking to Punch on Thursday, Eyiboh stressed that Akpabio, as the Senate President and Nigeria’s third-highest-ranking official, is focused on national matters. He made it clear that Akpabio has no time for political quarrels.
“Anyway, my principal wouldn’t want to engage him on that issue. The Senate President doesn’t respond like that. He’s the former Vice President of Nigeria, and we are giving him that respect.
“So, no matter what he does, we cannot go to the dustbin to fight or start debating with him on such an issue,” Eyiboh added
Atiku had also suggested that the National Assembly’s approval of a state of emergency in Rivers State was due to corruption among its leaders. However, Akpabio’s camp remains firm in its decision not to respond to Atiku’s accusations.
Atiku had said, “The Senate President is actually known for having that type of character, even when he was a governor. He (Akpabio) was not only corrupt as a governor, but he was also in the habit of abusing women. Akpabio is corrupt, not only is he corrupt, he has the habit of abusing women.”
According to Eyiboh, Akpabio will continue working on important national issues rather than getting involved in unnecessary disputes.
“The Senate President is the number three man in this country, and his primary responsibility is about the preservation of the country’s sovereignty and respect to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So he will not be able to go to the street to join issues with anybody,” he concluded.
