Plot to Remove Akpabio? Senate Cries Foul, Says Presidency Rumours are False

By: Abudu Olalekan

Is the Senate President’s seat shaking? The Senate has fired back at ‘unfounded’ rumours of a plot to remove Godswill Akpabio. But what’s the real gist? Reportersroom has the details.

The gist in Abuja is wild. You can almost smell the intrigue. One minute everything is fine, the next, whispers are everywhere. And this week, the whisper was a big one. A very big one.

That Senate President, Godswill Akpabio? Word on the street was that his colleagues, his own people, were plotting to kick him out. A full-blown coup.

Lies. Total lies.

The Senate didn’t take long to respond. On Wednesday, the whole chamber was buzzing. And then, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, stood up. He looked serious. The kind of serious that means trouble.

“There was no attempt by any of our colleagues, nor any discussion around the possibility or otherwise of the removal of the Senate President from office,” he said. Boom. Mic drop.

He went on, talking about unity. A “zero-tolerance attitude toward distractions.” Sounds good, right? Very formal. Very… political. He said the reports were just “calculated to create confusion.” As if we’re all fools.

But it wasn’t just Bamidele. Even the big man from Abia, Orji Uzor Kalu, had something to say. A former governor, he’s like the godfather of the place. He spoke to journalists on Tuesday, and he was blunt.

“Were you there?” he snapped at a reporter who asked about the plot. “Even if there were attempts, we will never allow that to happen.”

He called them a “big family.” Said it’s not going to happen. But then… he left the door open just a tiny crack. He mentioned “family misunderstanding.” And we all know what that means. A small fight that gets swept under the rug. Or not.

So, the official story is clear. No plot. Everyone loves Akpabio. The Senate is one big, happy family. Laughter and song.

But… come on. This is the National Assembly we’re talking about.

An investigation by our sources at Reportersroom (because you know the Tribune gist is sometimes just surface level) shows a different story. A messier one. The real gist isn’t the plot to remove him. The real gist is why people might even think about it.

Lawmakers are always squabbling. Always. It’s their favourite pastime.

Think about it. Project allocations. Who gets the road in their village? Who gets the borehole? Then there’s the budget. Money, money, money. And committee work. Who gets to be the chairman of the juicy Petroleum Committee versus the boring-ass Agriculture committee? Tempers flare. Oh boy, do they flare.

They have these meetings. Executive sessions. Camera-off. Doors closed. That’s where the real wahala happens. That’s where they shout. That’s where alliances are made and broken. Behind the curtains, it’s a war.

Now, is removing the president the first thing they do? No. Not usually. That’s the nuclear option. It’s messy. It’s complicated.

You want to know how complicated? Get this. To successfully remove a Senate President, you don’t just need votes. You need serious backing. We’re talking backing from the highest office in the land, Aso Rock. The President has to be on your side.

And even with that? You still need a two-thirds majority. Let that sink in. Two-thirds. Of 109 senators. That’s like… 73 senators. All agreeing on something. Have you seen them try to agree on the time of day? It’s impossible.

So, is there a plot to remove Akpabio? Officially? No. Absolutely not.

But is the Senate a pressure cooker ready to explode? Are there serious misunderstandings and fights over money and power that could make someone think about it?

Oh, 100%. You can bet your last naira on that. This isn’t the end of the story. It’s just the beginning of the next episode. And trust me, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.