The sacked Senator representing Adamawa North, in 10th senate, Elisha Abbo, has accused the senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of orchestrating his removal from office. Elisha Abbo, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) addressed a press conference on Monday in Abuja after the court of appeal removed him from office.
A three-member panel of the court of Appeal, led by Justice C.E. Nwosu-Iheme, had in a judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Amos Yohanna of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the validly elected lawmaker for the senatorial district.
The senator said that he is not the only one targeted by the Akpabio camp. He stated that they are five senators including senator Orji Uzo Kalu, representing Abia South. Because of their opposition to Apkabio’s senate presidency ambition in June.
While Abbo backed Abdulaziz Yari, senator representing Zamfara west, for the office of senate president, Kalu nursed the ambition of becoming the number three citizen but did not eventually run for the offce.
“I heard it from a reliable source which I won’t call the name now that five senators will be removed from the senate. Those who did not stand with my brother, my elder brother, and my good colleague, distinguished Senate President Akpabio,” Abbo said.
“Those who did not vote for him, five of us are going and I am number one. Orji Uzor Kalu will go. They have penciled five of us.
“They told me that I am going because we did not support the emergence of my brother Akpabio in emerging as president of the senate. This is not democracy.
“We have hope in the court, let us build the country, the international community is watching us.
“You cannot withdraw a ground and the court of appeal restore a ground without the lawyer asking for that ground to be restored and voiding somebody’s election.
“This is a coup on democracy.”
However, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has responded to the allegation.
Eseme Eyiboh, spokesperson for Akpabio, said it is uncharitable for Abbo to pour his frustrations on the senate president.
“It is only a diseased and uninformed mind that will not believe that the outcome of any court proceeding is a function of the evaluation of facts and evidence within the province of the rule of law,” he said.
“Democracy is founded in the rule of law, so for anybody to accuse one of the strong agents of democracy and governance in the mold of Senator Godswill Akpabio, such an individual must be a monument of self-pity and his swansong a discordant escape from reality.” Eyibo said.
SOURCE: Tribune
