Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed a report claiming he promised to secure return tickets for senators who lost in the recently concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections. The denial was issued in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, on Saturday, June 6.
Clarification on Akpabio's Remarks
Eyiboh explained that the Senate president neither made nor authorized any promise to guarantee tickets for the affected senators in the APC senatorial primaries. According to the statement, Akpabio merely expressed sympathy for his colleagues who lost their primaries and assured them that party leadership was working to address concerns arising from the internal democracy exercise. He further noted that the final list of candidates would be released soon, in line with the party's constitution and electoral guidelines.
Mixed Reactions from Nigerians
The denial has sparked varied reactions from Nigerians. Law Sunday commented that opposition senators who decamped to the APC should not complain after losing primaries, stating, 'All those opposition senators decamping from their respective parties to the APC said that it was because of Tinubu's reform that they were going to the APC. Now that they have lost the APC primaries, why don't they remain in the party? They should not complain.'
Kamil Abdulraheen criticized the Senate president, saying, 'When someone has no control over his tongue and utterances and is renowned for garrulousness, the tendency is for people to ascribe to him statements that he never made or that he made inadvertently without considering the appropriateness or otherwise of such statements. The man has become notorious for making reckless and unguarded statements. A statement that portrayed him as being callous and politically corrupt.'
Bashir Ibrahim noted that Akpabio cannot promise return tickets, as the decision lies with the people. He said, 'That's not Senator Akpabio's decision to make, even if he made promises to them. The right to choose who speaks and acts on their behalf belongs to the people, not to any single individual.'
Dele Osayamen questioned, 'President Tinubu is fighting for re-election while Remi Tinubu is campaigning for president. Please, Remi Tinubu really contesting for president?'
APC Campaign Council for Ekiti Election
In related news, the APC has appointed Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna and Senate President Godswill Akpabio as chairman and co-chairman of its campaign council for the Ekiti State governorship election. The council, comprising all APC governors and several party bigwigs, will be inaugurated on Wednesday, June 10. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier announced that the Ekiti governorship election would be conducted alongside bye-elections in six states on Saturday, June 20.
