As the speculation over plots by aggrieved senators of the 10th National Assembly to impeach the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, thickens, more revealing details have emerged about why the senators have hatched the impeachment plan, MUK TV has learned.
According to Leadership, the impeachment plan is over the sharing of the Senate committees, and the group of senators opposed to Akpabio are suspicious of his ability to checkmate what they are calling the Yorubanization of the country’s financial system and economy.
It was also alleged that the plot to remove Akpabio is linked to his refusal to deal with some interest groups over issues bordering on oil subsidy removal and electricity tariffs.
The same newspaper reported that the move to impeach Akpabio is being spearheaded by two senators from the North West, whose grievances are that he is a rubber stamp for the presidency and would be unable to carry out his duty effectively.
While the Senate, through its chairman of the media and publicity committee, Yemi Adaramodu, dismissed the impeachment threat because the upper chamber is “one united and fraternal family,” senator Ishaku Abbo, representing Adamawa North, accused Akpabio and his associates of instigating the impeachment narrative to create discord between President Bola Tinubu and northern politicians.
He accused Akpabio of distributing Grade A committees mainly to his supporters during the Senate leadership contest.
However, a source confided in our correspondent that the angst of the group seeking to sack Akpabio was beyond the Senate President.
“The main issue is the fear that Akpabio cannot check this Yorubanization of the financial system that is going on now,” the source revealed.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said besides the appointment of Yoruba ministers in the financial sector and the blue economy, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Customs, among others, are now led by persons of Yoruba extraction.
“The reason the Northerners are mostly involved is that most of those being removed and replaced with Yoruba are Northerners,” the source noted.
It was further gathered that the aim of the senators is to enthrone a senate president the group believes can checkmate President Bola Tinubu.
It was also learned that the senators are working with some interest and claim they were shortchanged after alleged agreements were reached on the payment of subsidies to the petrol importers.
The arrangement, it was said, involved settling petrol importers with funds raised from the fuel subsidy removal within the first two months. The fund was instead put into palliative intervention; it was learned.
Another group, said to have infiltrated the ranks of the senators, were some power sector players who allegedly reached an agreement for an upward review of 40 percent of the tariff. It was gathered that the agreement was discounted on the floor by the Senate.
