Key Points of Controversies Surrounding Godswill Akpabio, Nigeria’s New Senate President
Godswill Akpabio, the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and current Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, has been elected as the new Senate President of the 10th National Assembly. However, his victory has been overshadowed by various controversies and allegations surrounding his political career.
Corruption Allegations:
In June 2015, Akpabio was under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the alleged misappropriation of approximately N108 billion during his tenure as governor. No charges have been filed, and a petition filed against him by a lawyer and activist was later met with a defamation case against the petitioner.
In May 2020, Akpabio faced another investigation by the national assembly regarding the alleged misappropriation of N40 billion from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He was accused of fueling the crisis between the National Assembly and the NDDC.
In March 2023, the EFCC invited Akpabio over allegations of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds, but he cited a scheduled medical appointment overseas as the reason for his inability to honor the invitation.
Sexual Harassment Allegation:
Joy Nunieh, a former acting managing director of the NDDC, accused Akpabio of attempting to make her take an oath that would prevent her from exposing corruption within the commission. She also claimed that he sexually assaulted her, leading her to slap him at his guest house in Abuja. Akpabio denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against Nunieh.
Despite the controversies and allegations surrounding Akpabio, he emerged as the preferred candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the Senate Presidency, defeating his sole challenger, Abdul’aziz Yari, a former Governor of Zamfara State, in a closely contested election. However, some senators from his party and various interest groups opposed his candidacy due to the aforementioned issues, including corruption allegations, alleged disrespect for the national assembly, and mismanagement of NDDC funds.
