EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
Barely one week to the resumption of the National Assembly, indications have emerged that the real reason some Senators are ganging up against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has to do with the ‘yorubanisation’ of the Nigerian economy.
The feelers from the Senate since Akpabio emerged as president and the manner he emerged clearly point to the fact that his footstool would wear the landmark of his predecessor who was a complete rubber stamp.
Also, it’s widely believed in some quarters that Senator Akpabio’s lack of capacity to checkmate the domination of the Yoruba in the financial ecosystem and his alleged refusal to deal with some powerful interest groups, particularly some petrol importers and the electricity distribution companies on some proposed financial deals bordering on 40% electricity tariff hike and payment of outstanding money to fuel importers.
Fresh details on the agitation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio emerged at the weekend with the revelation that the disaffection on committee appointments was only a mirage. The real anger of the group of senators is the suspicion of the incapacity of the Senate President to checkmate what some northern senators are calling the Yorubanisation of the country’s financial system and economy.
Recall that the social media networks, newspapers had last weekend alleged a plot by some senators against Akpabio alleging lopsided distribution of ‘juicy’ committees mainly in favour of his supporters and to the discrimination of those who opposed him during the leadership contest.
Unlike the House of Representatives where’s his counterpart compensated his fellow combatants with relatively ‘juicy’committees, Akpabio adopted the model of the immediate past Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila who gave his fellow combatants graveyard committees.
It was gathered that the allegation may have some substance, it has, however, emerged that some rivals of the Senate President may have regrouped using as a reason his apparent failure to check the lopsided appointments by the president in favour of the Yoruba, especially in the financial sector.
Among the senators who are alleged to have regrouped with a mission of standing up to Senator Akpabio are some former governors drawn from the North and at least one from the South-South.
The group has now formally come out by presenting Senator Elisha Abbo, APC, Adamawa North as the face of the group.
Senator Abbo in interviews he granted at the weekend accused Akpabio of marginalising his rivals in the leadership contest and their supporters in the distribution of the committee positions.
Competent sources within the Abbo group have now revealed that the angst of the group was far more and go beyond the Senate President.
“The main issue is our fear that Akpabio cannot check this Yorubanisation of the financial system that is going on now,” a source within the group revealed.
The source who spoke on the condition of anonymity alluded to the appointments at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Customs, among others that have recently been infused with Yoruba leadership. The control of the agencies is besides the appointment of Yoruba Ministers in the financial sector and the blue economy.
“Yes, the reason why you can see that Northerners are mostly involved is that most of those being removed and replaced with Yoruba are northerners,” the source added.
It was further gathered that the aim of the senators is to enthrone a senate president the group believes can checkmate President Bola Tinubu.
Besides the appointments, the group is also said to be working on behalf of some interest groups in the economy who believe that they were shortchanged after reaching agreements with the president and Akpabio on the payment of subsidy to the petrol importers.
It was gathered that an arrangement had been reached with the presidency that funds generated from the removal of fuel subsidy would be used to settle petrol importers within the first two months of the removal of subsidy. The fund amounting to N2 trillion has, however, not been so used but rather pushed to palliatives intervention.
Another interest group said to have infiltrated into the ranks of the dissident senators were some Electricity Distribution companies who were said to have also reached an agreement with the presidency and Akpabio for an upward review of 40% of tariff. That agreement was, however, discountenanced on the Senate floor by Akpabio.
Northern business interest groups are believed to be more affected by the decision not to pay the petrol importers who took the president’s smile to banks but delivered bounced cheques.