Godswill Akpabio, the newly elected Senate President, has come under fire for publicly exposing how senators voted in the election. This move has been met with criticism from various quarters.
Deji Adeyanju, a well-known socio-political activist, has condemned Akpabio’s actions, describing them as unstatesmanlike. Adeyanju believes that this act of revealing voting details has the potential to cause divisions within the Senate.
He further highlighted a comparison to the actions of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki. In 2015, Saraki tore the list of votes after it was handed to him by the Sergeant at Arms.
Adeyanju stated, “What Senate President Akpabio did by publicly exposing those who voted for or against him is not statesmanlike and has the potential to divide the Senate. This is the first time a Senate President has engaged in such behavior.”
Akpabio, who was the chosen candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Senate Presidency, emerged victorious during the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
In the election, Akpabio secured 63 votes, while his opponent, Yari, received 46 votes.
