“Time for Akpabio to go is now,” canvasses Vatsa, laments “tragedy of a nation”
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked his fellow party member, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to resign or be impeached for poking fun at the hunger protest even before it took off to highlight biting poverty in the country.
Former APC Publicity Secretary Jonathan Vatsa also asked Akpabio to tender an apology to the youth over his comment.
He joined other Nigerians, including former Senator Shehu Sani, who have kept Akpabio’s feet to the fire for mocking the protest in a video that went viral a week after trolls forced him to apologise to Senator Natasha Akpoti for insulting her at plenary where he told her, “we are not in a night club.”
Akpabio disclosed Nigerians made over 2,000 calls to his wife Ekaette pressing her to tell him to apologise. He said his own handset too crashed under the weight of calls lambasting him.
Yet he goofed again with insensitivity while addressing delegates of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Rivers State.
“All of us feel the impact of what is happening now. But we are aware it will be for a short while. MD, I want to thank you for what you said. You said we are not interested in regime change; let us own this government.
“Those who want to protest can protest, but let us be here eating ….,” he said.
The comment put him in another round of outrage from citizens who have little respect for lawmakers, all of whom they regard as corrupt and part of the problem in society.
Akpabio looks robust, dresses flamboyantly, and can afford to make jests while other citizens barely feed.
Senators earn salary and allowances worth N30 million per month, according to figures compiled and released by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Akpabio, as a principal officer, earns even more.
There are allegations that, because federal lawmakers earn so much money, some of them waste it on camping multiple women (their favourites being Nollywood actresses, tertiary education students, and youth corps members) at the same time to engage in sex orgies in Abuja and elsewhere.
Vatsa, also former Niger State Information Culture and Tourism Commissioner, bared his mind in a statement titled “Time for Akpabio to go is now”, describing his utterance as very callous, regrettable, particularly as it comes from from the number three citizen of Nigeria.
“The same eating Akpabio ate for 16 years under the PDP government, he still wants to continue eating under the APC government. This is a tragedy of a nation,” Vatsa said.
“It is a huge error and a disservice to this country to turn around and make someone like Akpabio a Senate president in the APC government. That is why this government can never get it right.
“The APC as a party has been hijacked by those that Nigerians were fed up with and decided to embrace ‘Change’ in 2015. They have been eating and they want to continue eating like Akpabio made Nigerians believe.
“I said it before and I will repeat it that it is sad that we are giving red carpet reception to those we initially accused of looting this country with reckless abandon, so how can we get it right?
“This party [APC] must begin to redeem its image and build confidence in Nigerians before 2027. This must start from Akpabio’s resignation to let Nigerians know that we are serious as a party.”
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Related articles:
Shehu Sani advises Senators on strategy to get rid of Akpabio
Aisha Yesufu tells Senators to impeach Akpabio for mocking hungry citizens
Dakore mulling court case against blogger over allegation of her sexual peccadillos with Akpabio
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