The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in conjunction with over 75 Civil Society Organizations under the aegis of the National Civil Society Organisations Against Inept Leaders, have called for the immediate resignation of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, following allegation of budget padding levelled against him the Chairman, Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdul Ningi.
In a statement issued on Monday, co-signed by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of CNPP, Comrade James Ezema, and the National Secretary of the coalition of CSOs, Alhaji Ali Abacha, the groups urged President Tinubu to waste no further time in putting an end to incessant cases of budget padding in the country.
Pointblanknews.com recalls that last week, Senator Ningi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a BBC Hausa Service interview, accused Akpabio, of inserting projects worth over N3 trillion in the 2024 budget, whereas the said projects with locations of the unnamed projects a subject of controversy.
The statement read in part, “Senator Ningi, had in a BBC Hausa interview, alleged that the budget version in operation is different from what the lawmakers passed in December 2023, revealing that senators had engaged a consultant to investigate the padding of the budget, saying that a N25 trillion budget was debated and passed by the National Assembly, not N28.7 trillion currently being implemented.
“We are quick to note that the name of the President of the Senate for over ten years has come up in countless corruption allegations from his days as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State till date.
“For instance, there are countless unresolved allegations of corruption against Senator Akpabio, including allegation by Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of Network Against Corruption And Trafficking (NACAT), which had urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Senator Akpabio over alleged diversion of the sum of N700 billion while he held sway as the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“NACAT cited an audit report of Akwa Ibom State treasury between 2011 and 2015, which accused Akpabio of financial infractions amounting to over N1 trillion naira while serving as governor.
“The same President of the Senate has allegation of looting over N200 billion of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) funds hanging over his head as a Minister.
“There was reported inconclusive investigation by the EFCC in June 2015 over alleged theft of approximately N108 billion during Akpabio’s tenure as governor of Akwa Ibom State.
“Also, in May 2020, Akpabio was investigated by the National Assembly for the misappropriation of N40 billion from the NDDC funds.”
Continuing, the groups noted that Joy Nunieh, a former acting managing director of NDDC once accused Akpabio of attempting to silence her by demanding she take an oath to prevent her from exposing fraud at the commission.
“The said Nunieh also accused the now President of the Senate of sexual harassment and she claimed to have slapped him (Akpabio) at his guest house in Abuja.
“It is true that Senator Akpabio denied these allegations, just as he is doing over the budget padding accusation, and even filed a defamation lawsuit against Nunieh. But these heinous allegations have put a question mark on the image of Senator Godswill Akpabio until they are resolved in favour or against the President of the Senate.
“Just before he became the President of the Senate, in March 2023, the EFCC invited Akpabio for questioning regarding allegations of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds but Akpabio’s lawyer cited a scheduled medical appointment overseas as the reason for his client’s inability to attend the invitation. This is how Senator Akpabio have been manipulating and escaping legal processes.”
While noting that the current allegations of budget padding is one out of many against the “uncommon” lawmaker, the groups maintained that the unresolved allegations carry heavy moral burdens which have continued to portray Senator Akpabio as a man of questionable integrity.
“We believe that this budget padding burden amid unprecedented hunger and deprivation in the country should reawaken the consciousness of Nigerians that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has been a party that have in nearly nine years, made the corruption infested 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a child’s play.
“Unfortunately, the failure of the EFCC and the Nigerian justice system to bring corrupt politicians to justice led to his emergence as President of the Senate in what has been seen as the arm-twisting of Senators by the ruling APC in June 2023. In the buildup to the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, it became obvious that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had preference for his candidacy for the lofty office in the upper chamber.”
They called on the nation’s number three man to speak up and clear his name of the allegations, saying, “Rather than give convincing explanation over how projects were inserted into the budget as alleged, the Senate President has obviously employed a divide-and-rule tactics in the Senate to water down the allegation.
“Senator Akpabio should know that no amount of blackmail against his colleagues or the civil society would lessen his moral burden until he purges himself of the allegations against him. We therefore call on the President of the Senate to immediately step aside for a thorough investigation of the allegation of budget padding against him and his office within 14 days,” they added.
Should he fails to heed their counsel, the group urged Senators “To rise to the occasion and commence impeachment process against Senator Akpabio after our 14 days ultimatum to pave way for a unhindered investigation of the allegation against him as Senator Akpabio cannot be a judge in his own case.
“We urge President Bola Tinubu to stand on his feet and end the era of budget padding in the country by prevailing on Senator Akpabio to leave office for proper investigation as the presidency in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, inadvertently admitted that there was a budget padding to the tune of over N1 trillion when he claimed that President Tinubu presented N27.5 trillion budget to the National Assembly but N28.7 trillion was passed; and this proves that there is merit in the allegation as what was passed was not what was presented to the National Assembly.”
The groups further vowed to mobilize their members nationwide to occupy the federal parliament is their demands fall on deaf ears.