Senate Leader Speaks Out on Rumored Conflict with Akpabio
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader, has refuted claims of being involved in a physical confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The accusations, reportedly made by Jackson Ude on his X platform, alleged that Bamidele confronted Akpabio in the Senate cafeteria over favoritism toward Northern lawmakers in the allocation of key committee positions, sidelining those from the South.
In a prompt rebuttal through his media team, Senator Bamidele labeled the claims as completely false and without merit. He criticized Ude as a habitual blackmailer and a journalist with questionable ethics, emphasizing that no such altercation occurred.
The statement noted, “Senator Bamidele’s political career spans over two decades without any record of physical altercation, including during his tenure as President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).”
It further accused Ude of abandoning journalistic integrity to propagate baseless rumors, likely aimed at sowing discord within the Senate and destabilizing the political landscape.
The media team highlighted that shortly after Wednesday’s plenary session, the Senate leadership, including Senator Bamidele and President Akpabio, hosted the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. YU Dunhai, and his delegation. Photographs from the meeting were widely published in major newspapers, showing no evidence of tension. Additionally, it was noted that both Bamidele and Akpabio left the National Assembly premises together in the same vehicle, underscoring their cordial relationship.
In conclusion, the statement warned against further attempts to exploit the Senate Leader’s calm demeanor, threatening legal action under the Cybercrime Act of 2015 if such defamatory acts persist. It called on the public to dismiss the fabricated story as an effort by divisive elements to undermine the unity of the 10th Senate, which remains steadfast and patriotic.
