President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio, has dismissed reports claiming that he promised to secure senatorial tickets for lawmakers who lost out in the recent primary elections of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akpabio said he merely expressed sympathy for senators adversely affected by the outcome of their respective primaries and did not make any commitment regarding the party’s candidate selection process.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Sunday Eyiboh.
According to the statement, reports circulating in some sections of the media had wrongly suggested that the Senate President assured aggrieved senators of obtaining return tickets ahead of the forthcoming elections.
“The attention of the Office of the President of the Senate has been drawn to misleading reports circulating in sections of the media suggesting that the President of the Senate has promised to secure senatorial tickets for senators who lost their party primaries,” the statement said.
It added: “We must categorically assert that this report does not reflect the position of the President of the Senate. For the record, Senator Akpabio has neither made nor authorised such a promise.”
The statement explained that during his interaction with fellow senators, Akpabio only empathised with those affected by the primary election outcomes and assured them that the APC leadership was working to resolve issues arising from the exercise.
“He assured them that the leadership of the APC is actively working to address all issues arising from the primaries and that the final list of candidates will be released in due course in line with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines,” it stated.
The Senate President reiterated his commitment to party discipline and due process, stressing that he would not interfere with the internal affairs of the APC or make commitments outside the mandate of the leadership of the National Assembly.
The statement also addressed comments attributed to a senator calling for a Senate probe of the military over recent security incidents across the country.
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Akpabio maintained that while legislative oversight remains a constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly, a public investigation of the Armed Forces at this time could be counterproductive.
According to him, the military is currently engaged in operations against terrorism, banditry and other security threats, and subjecting it to a public legislative inquiry could affect troop morale and operational effectiveness.
He advocated continued support for the military through collaboration and closed-door engagements with security agencies, noting that oversight functions should be carried out in a manner that does not distract security personnel from their duties.
The Senate President subsequently urged journalists and members of the public to disregard what he described as sensational and inaccurate interpretations of his remarks and to seek clarification from his office before publication.
