Senators Begin Second Term Campaign for President Tinubu

•Sani Musa says Tinubu will spend 8 years 

•Kalu asks APC to return him unopposed, seeks posthumous swearing-in for MKO Abiola

•Akpabio gets colleagues’ confidence vote, Natasha to face ethics committee 

•Kogi senator sues senate president for N100bn over alleged defamation

Sunday Aborisade and Alex Enumah in Abuja 

Two senators, yesterday, launched a subtle campaign for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu, citing different reasons.

Chairman, Senate Committee on South East Development Commission, Orji Uzor Kalu, and his counterpart in the finance committee, Senator Sani Musa, kicked off the campaign.

Kalu, a ranking senator and two-term former governor, represents Abia North Senatorial District, while Musa is from the Niger East Senatorial District.

Kalu, who spoke with journalists shortly before the start of plenary, said since Tinubu had performed well as president, he should be elected unopposed in the 2027 general election.

Musa said Tinubu would spend eight years in office to ensure the efficient implementation of the fiscal legislations started by his administration.

The mild campaigns came as senators, yesterday, passed a vote of confidence in President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, over his leadership style.

The red chamber also reviewed the issue that led to a rowdy session last week and asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, to investigate the matter.

But the row over seat rearrangement at the senate between Akpabio and a Kogi State senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, dragged into the courtroom, with Natasha demanding a N100 billion compensation as damages she has suffered over the incident.

Speaking on Tinubu’s re-election, Kalu said, “Many Nigerian presidents, who have not performed well had won a second term in the past. We are appealing to the Nigerian people to be patient with the reform process.

“We are not looking for another presidential candidate outside of our party; we are fully aligned with democratic principles and supporting the sitting president.

“The good news is that we will win again in 2027. The president will return, and Nigerians will celebrate with us. That is inevitable.”

On the current hardship in the country as a result of the fiscal and monetary policies ofthe Tinubu administration, Kalu enjoined Nigerians to be patient as there would soon be light at the end of the tunnel.

He said, “Reforms are difficult, but they are necessary. The economy has been cut into pieces, and now we are trying to sew it back together. It is a tough process, but patience is required.

“The president is now making wider consultations, both locally and internationally, before taking key economic decisions.”

Kalu equally spoke on the recent declaration by former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, in his book that the late Moshood Abiola won the 1993 presidential election, which was annulled by him.

He asked Tinubu to conduct a posthumous swearing-in for Abiola as president of Nigeria,  saying, “I look forward to the second edition of Babangida’s book because the first did not reveal all the realities.

“I was present during the events of June 12, and I know what happened. Babangida should call out the names of those responsible for preventing the election declaration.

“The coup d’état in question was not an Igbo coup; it was a Nigerian coup, executed by the military. Moshood Abiola won that election, and there is no doubt about it. Since Abiola won the election his picture should be placed among Nigeria’s past presidents.

“I commend former President Buhari for giving him (Abiola)  a posthumous national honour, but I would also appeal to President Tinubu to officially recognise him and place his image where it belongs. This would help bring succour to his family.”

Musa, who spoke to journalists on the ongoing public hearing on the tax reform bills, said, “Mr. President has said he wants to see Nigeria having a $1trillion economy, and this is the beginning of it.

“For us to do it, we must do it in a way that is not only during the time of Mr. President. Mr. President is only going to stay for likely eight years.

“After eight years, there will be another government. So we want a law that will outlive anybody that is there, even us, that we are making the law, at the end of the day we are going to be the ones also that will have to follow what we have led.”

Senators Pass Confidence Vote in Akpabio, Refer Natasha’s Case to Ethics Committee

Senators, yesterday, passed a vote of confidence in Akpabio.

The senate also reviewed the issues that led to a rowdy session last week and asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, to investigate the matter.

The resolutions of the upper chamber followed a point of order, bordering on privileges, moved by the senate spokesperson, Adeyemi Adaramodu, representing Ekiti South Senatorial District.

Adaramodu had, in his point of order, drawn the attention of his colleagues to the action of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, last Thursday, when she caused a rowdy session during plenary while protesting the sudden change of her seat without her knowledge.

He stated that the Akpoti-Uduaghan erred by raising her voice while protesting the rearrangement of seats in the red chamber thereby creating a wrong impression, which mainstream and social media commentators had been feasting on.

Adaramodu stated that the uproar caused by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s challenge to the senate president over her seat allocation had severely damaged the senate’s reputation.

He said Akpoti-Uduaghan openly defied the senate president by reading a point of order despite being ruled out of order, adding that he has been visiting various media organisations to explain the senate’s position on the matter.

Adaramodu emphasised that it was difficult to restore an image that had been shattered due to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions regarding a simple issue like seat reallocation and committee chairmanship.

Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, in his contribution, moved a motion that his colleagues should support the actions of the senate president since the issues started last week, which was promptly done.

Bamidele also moved another motion for the matter to be referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition, which was massively supported.

Minority Leader, Abba Moro, and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, expressed concern about Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct and recommended that the issue be further investigated by the appropriate committee.

They said her actions contravened relevant sections of the Senate Standing Orders, which gave the presiding officer the power to allocate seats and equally maintain order and decorum within the chambers.

They faulted her for making a matter that happened within the chambers a media issue for which the red chambers had continued to receive negative publicity and image bashing.

The senate president, after ruling on the matter, referred it to the ethics committee for investigation, to report back to the senate in two weeks.

Natasha Slams N100 Billion Damages Suit on Akpabio, His Aide over Alleged Defamation

The row over seat rearrangement at the senate between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio dragged into the courtroom with Natasha demanding a N100 billion compensation as damages.

In the suit filed before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Kogi State lawmaker claimed that defamatory statements made against her person by Akpabio were published on Facebook by the senate president’s aide, one Patrick Mfom.

Akpabio was sued on his personal capacity and as President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria as first and second defendants, respectively, while Nfom was the third defendant in the suit marked: CV/737/25.

In a 29 paragraph statement of claim attached to the suit filed on her behalf by her lawyer, Victor Giwa, Akpoti-Uduaghan averred that the first defendant, acting in the capacity of the second defendant, had put her “under series of pressure” in distracting her from carrying out her legislative functions in her capacity as a senator.

This, she added, was by removing her from various committees in the senate, which included international conferences and engagements, such that the claimant had to pay personally for her international official trips and hotel bills.

She further alleged that Akpabio had “deliberately and without any justifiable reason, meted out disparaging comments and taken steps and action that demeaned the character and reputation of the claimant”.

She recalled that sometime in February 2025, she arrived in the chamber for the sitting, only to discover that her seat had been reassigned to another senator without her notice, consent or information.

Akpoti-Uduaghan said that caused her some embarrassment, and added that attempts to draw Akpabio’s attention to the situation were vehemently resisted and refused by the first defendant in an open session of the senate.

She further claimed that rather than addressing her complaint on the reassignment of her seat, Akpabio ordered the sergeant at arm to pull her away from the seat and her position in the chambers.

The claimant averred, “The action of the first defendant as the second defendant is unparliamentary, disparaging and unbecoming of a senator and capable of lowering the esteem and reputation of the claimant in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the society.”

She stated that while the public outcry was raging against the incident in the senate, Akpabio caused the third defendant to make defamatory publications against her on his Facebook page.

While praying the court to restrain the defendants and their associates from making further defamatory statements against her on any platform, Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to make, “An order for the payment of the sum of N100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for the payment of the sum of N300,000,000 as the cost of action.”

The suit filed on February 25, was yet to be assigned to any judge.