The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), a civil society advocacy group, has demanded the impeachment of Senate President Godswill Akpabio due to his recent comments on holiday allowances for senators. In a viral video, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State stated that the Clerk of the National Assembly had credited senators’ accounts with tokens to facilitate their holiday enjoyment.
After realizing that his remarks had become public, Akpabio attempted to clarify by saying he had sent prayers to legislators’ email boxes instead of financial tokens. However, HURIWA’s statement on Wednesday evening strongly urged him to step aside and subject himself to investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offenses Commission (ICPC) for potentially violating lawful allowance laws or face impeachment promptly.
Labeling the Senate under Akpabio’s leadership as lacking direction, overly focused on financial gains, unpatriotic, and unfavorable to the less privileged, HURIWA warned Nigerians to brace for a protracted struggle to protect democracy. The group highlighted that the legislature and the judiciary had seemingly become captives and political pawns of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Expressing concern over the public’s skepticism and outcry sparked by Akpabio’s statements, HURIWA demanded comprehensive clarification from the Senate President regarding the origin, purpose, and sum of the disbursed funds. The group emphasized that should Akpabio fail to provide the required information, Nigerians might conclude that these funds were essentially payments for securing ministerial clearance.
HURIWA urged Akpabio to submit himself for ICPC investigation immediately if he wished to avoid public speculation regarding the monetary disbursement. The group asserted that refusal to cooperate should be considered a challenge to constitutional norms, thus necessitating either impeachment or recall by his constituents.
HURIWA also raised pertinent questions about National Assembly members’ entitlement to holiday allowances, the specified amounts, and whether these allowances were part of approved payments within the revenue mobilization structure.
The group underlined the significance of transparency, equity, and accountability in Nigeria’s legislative processes. It called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to promptly take action by summoning the Senate President to clarify the situation and provide accurate information to the Nigerian people.
