NewStats: 3,264,696 , 8,184,431 topics. Date: Thursday, 12 June 2025 at 05:23 AM 341i2n

Senate President Godswill Akpabio is again in the eye of the storm for creating an office for his wife, Ekaette Unoma Akpabio.

Unoma is the founder of Family Life Enhancement Initiative (FLEI), a non-governmental organisation.

Sources told SaharaReporters that many senators were disappointed with Akpabio’s opening of the Office of the First Lady to the Senate President, which did not exist in the previous Assemblies.

“There is outrage in the National Assembly because Senate President Akpabio created an office for his wife, Unoma. There is now an office of First Lady to the Senate President,” a source said.

Akpabio is serving as the 15th president of the Nigerian Senate. He emerged as President of the 10th Assembly after securing 63 votes to beat a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdul-Azziz Yari who secured 46 votes.He served as Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District from 2015 to 2019 and also served as Minister for Niger Delta Affairs from 2019 to 2022. Akpabio was the governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015.

Meanwhile, Akpabio is no stranger to controversies. In August, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that fellow senators were angry with Akpabio for exposing that they received bribe money from ministerial screening in a viral video.Akpabio is heard in the video telling of the upper legislative chamber that an undisclosed amount of money had been sent to each of them to use to enjoy their holidays.

Akpabio said this while addressing his colleagues before the adjournment of a motion moved by one of the senators.

In the viral video, Akpabio said, “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various s by the clerk of the national assembly.”
But when his statement sparked a rowdy moment on the floor of the Senate, he rephrased the statement and said, “I withdraw that statement. In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”

The Senate proceeded on vacation after concluding the screening of ministerial nominees sent to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu.

SaharaReporters learnt that the senators were upset that Akpabio exposed that they got bribe money from ministerial screening. Sources told SaharaReporters that the aggrieved senators were unhappy about the ridicule and embarrassment the former Akwa Ibom governor’s unguarded statement had brought to them.

Sources in the National Assembly told SaharaReporters that N2 million was sent to each of the senators by Akpabio who had received N1 billion from ministerial nominees.

SaharaReporters learnt that the senators described Akpabio's action as blackmail and to ensure they received the stick from their constituents for a "paltry sum" while he had pocketed the bulk of the bribe money paid to them.

“Senators are upset with Senate President Akpabio for exposing the bribe money they get for ministerial screening. A paltry N2 million was sent to each of them. They are angry that now Nigerians know how they are bribed to allow ministerial nominees to take a bow and go,” a source had said.“The Senate President collected over N1 billion from the screened ministers and sent only N2 million to the of each of 109 senators, totalling N218 million,” another source had said.

“He never disclosed to the senators the source of the N2 million each sent to their s. Rather, what Akpabio did was to blackmail the Senators on Monday night in an open live television cast that money had been sent to the s of Senators for holidays. Then the following morning, senators received only N2 million each in their s while the senate president pocketed hundreds of millions of naira.

“What a shame and highest treachery and blackmail by the Senate President. Senators are getting ready for a battle with him because this has pitched Senators against their constituents who never knew that they were given only N2 million each for the so-called ‘allowance for holidays/vacation.’”

https://saharareporters.com/2023/10/01/exclusive-uproar-nigerian-national-assembly-senate-president-akpabio-creates-office-wife

Only under Ebola Tinubu.

Av

.

Office of the first lady of the Senate president won't be bad, afterall we have office of the first lady of the federal republic of Nigeria, office of the first daughter and also office of the first son of the federal republic of Nigeria

All these happening under this calamitous Tinubu government

Malroux:
Only under Ebola Tinubu.

It's bitterness while not face akpabio squarely if bat go against it you will be the person to shout executive has no power over legislative

Just imagine....

Even if Godswill Akpabio has been possessed by spirit of buffoonery and has suffered the loss of senses of propriety and priority, can't the other senators call him to order immediately?

Akpabio the thieving, clueless, and incompetent clown.

These guys in power are just useless. What’s the usefulness of that office if not to squander our resources as usual? No wonder the National Assembly budget is shrouded in secrecy.

This guy is a real gunner no offence

This man won't last in politics. He'll go the way of Dimeji Bankole.

festacman:
Even if Godswill Akpabio has been possessed by spirit of buffoonery and has suffered the loss of senses of propriety and priority, can't the other senators call him to order immediately or even impeach him?

Is the office of first lady constitutional? If its true that he created such office don't blame him cos apc messed up our constitution on the last 8 yrs.

a4cube:
Is the office of first lady constitutional? If its true that he created such office don't blame him cos apc messed up our constitution on the last 8 yrs.

We copied presidential system from United Statez and there The Office of the First Lady (OFL) plays significant role.

Op is a drunkard... Even if such news is true, how does it affect the economy? 2milion token you keep crying about wasn't introduce by Akpabio, I don't think such money can sustain him for 24hrs cos has been a multi billionaire as a governor.

festacman:


We copied presidential system from United Statez and there The Office of the First Lady (OFL) plays significant role.

is it the office of first lady constitutional in Nigeria? If yes then fine if no it means the president created it. So why should the SP mot create one for his wife? The governors created same for their wives also.

Setting a bad precedence is bad. Simple.

But Remi Tinubu has an office, Seyi and his Sister The Iyaloja collecting taxes and fleecing market women have offices of the First Daughter and Son which are not in the constitution, some bigots want us to condemn Akpabio because he has created an office for his wife basically because she is Igbo, even the Speaker's wives were dragging who is first Lady of the House of Reps in public and y'all kept quiet during the swearing in, please allow Uloma Akpabio to enjoy what Remi snd of Tinubu's family are enjoying from the federal coffers, she has been very ive of her husband to achieve his goals and should also rip the benefits

he is catching cruise at the expense of Nigerians

I don’t blame him. That was one of the major reasons the First Lady of Canada divorced her husband. Working for her husband and country without getting paid. She had to put her career on hold to attend to different dinners, meet with foreign delegates, travel with husband etc.

Issokay...

Anyway God bless the good people of Southsouth and Southwest

Man needs to send more prayers to that office na.

The credibility of this 'report' is incredibly low. But if by any chance there is truth in this, then impeachment proceedings should begin.
No time for nonsense.

Ofunaofu:
Office of the first lady of the Senate president won't be bad, afterall we have office of the first lady of the federal republic of Nigeria, office of the first daughter and also office of the first son of the federal republic of Nigeria

All these happening under this calamitous Tinubu government

There is also office of the Iyaloja General of the federation... TINUBU ojo

If this is true....

Hahaha ha...ha.

Drop our mic honourable minister....

Most of those in power are poor...mentally. So, all they think of is how to steal. Some of them former governors, can't remove their eyes from the state's allocations. Yet, they are poor...poorer than the only one that stayed away from every kobo from the state.

These people do not deserve our respect, they are beneath every decent person in the entire country.

Naija..... at the end of the day, nothing will still happen. Much worse has be said and done, yet nothing was done. We are in a social media generation now, all uproar begins and ends online

One thing about poverty is that it messes the mind and sometimes it can never leave you even when you become rich.

Poverty has diminished Akpabio brain drastically to the extent that all he thinks of is adding more money to himself.

Well I really love what is happening, APC will push Nigerians to the extreme and when the people react it won't end well for them

Igbos doing what they know how to do best...

WTF