Nigerians have asked Senate President, Godswill Akpabio to resign for his insensitivity and utter disdain of the Nigerian people.
Alternatively, Nigerians have on Senators to remove Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, who has been making derogatory and controversial remarks over serious national issues since his endorsement as Senate President.
He was recently seen in a viral video taunting Nigerians protesting against bad governance, saying he and others in the government would be “eating” while Nigerians protest.
“Those who want to protest can protest, but let us be here eating,” Mr Akpabio said on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at an event organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Remi Adekoya, a politics lecturer in the UK posted on X that “Akpabio represents everything that is wrong with Nigerian governance today. Shameless greed, arrogance and insensitivity.”
Also, Amnesty International Nigeria, said Akpabio has been “insensitive and reckless”.
‘Akpabio must go’
“He needs to go; it’s not negotiable. A strong message must be sent to that Senate seat,” said an X user @Asah_Mike.
“Why senators haven’t impeached him from that seat still baffles me,” said another X user, @Galadima_Samaru.
“They’re mere toothless mannequins. They don’t have what it takes,” another X user, @Ibnwalee, responded, apparently referring to Mr Akpabio’s colleagues in the Senate.
“Mr Akpabio should be removed as the senate president. He has continued to reel out statements that do not put into consideration the plight of Nigerians. He is not fit to be saddled on the hallowed seat of the senate president,” another X user, @esho_emmy, said on the microblogging platform.
An X user, @bukola23, said, “Nigeria needs a mature and circumspect Senate president.”
“It says a lot about who we are, having such a man as president of the Senate,” another X user, @PeluAwofeso, responded.
“Stopping corruption is very far away from us,” she added.
“A very bad representation, and it’s heartbreaking,” @bukola23, the X user who began the conversation, concurred.
An X user, @BigChiefDamian, believes that “nothing good will come” from Mr Akpabio if he remains the Senate president. “It is time to impeach Godswill Akpabio,” he said, adding that the Senate president is against the people and that Nigerians would not have it.
“He consistently makes reckless statements unbefitting of a Senate president,” he said.
“Dear Senators, it is time to impeach Godswill Akpabio. It is still one of you that will replace him as Senate President,” rights activist Aisha Yesufu tweeted.
“You will not encounter any resistance,” she added.
“Akpabio spoke down on Senator Natasha, Senator Ireti, and many other senators. He apologised, and we accepted. He spoke down on the market women and men involved in the fire incident, (and) he apologised again, (and) we accepted. Akpabio has now made a joke of Nigerian protesters and masses. We do not want an apology, we want resignation,” an X user, @HauwaAllahbura, said.
