A group of current and former members of the National Assembly have asserted that Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s recent visit to President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock was not primarily motivated by the ministerial nomination of Festus Keyamo. It was reported that Akpabio had visited the State House last week in relation to Keyamo’s nomination as the former Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
This visit came after a tumultuous session in the Senate, initiated by a motion put forth by Senator Darlington Nwokocha from Abia Central. Nwokocha’s motion aimed to temporarily halt the screening process for Keyamo as a nominee for a ministerial position. This motion received support from Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia North. The basis of the motion stemmed from Keyamo’s alleged disregard for a summons from the National Assembly in 2020 concerning the recruitment of 774,000 individuals for a special public works program.
Speaking at a press conference over the weekend, Eseme Eyiboh, the Dean of the Leadership Council of The Initiatives, conveyed that Keyamo’s ministerial nomination did not carry enough significance to justify Senate President Akpabio’s visit to the Presidential Villa. Eyiboh suggested that the drama surrounding Keyamo’s nomination was not significant enough to prompt such a visit.
Eyiboh, who was once the spokesperson for the House of Representatives, proposed that Akpabio might have visited the Presidential Villa for a pre-scheduled meeting or for other reasons unrelated to Keyamo’s situation.
Punch newspaper made it known that, He further clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the Senate, but he noted that the process regarding Keyamo’s nomination had been conducted fairly. He highlighted that Keyamo apologized for the issues raised, and the Senate unanimously accepted his apology. Eyiboh reiterated that there was nothing particularly special about Keyamo’s nomination that would have necessitated the Senate President’s visit to the villa. He suggested that the visit might have pertained to matters like efforts to provide assistance to Nigerians or other routine duties.
He also posed the question of why a similar visit wasn’t made in the case of el-Rufai, whose confirmation hearing was also postponed. Ultimately, Eyiboh conveyed that the visit, if it indeed occurred, was likely tied to Akpabio’s responsibilities and might have been part of a pre-arranged schedule.
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