Akpabio is afraid of anything that has to do with me —Oshiomhole

The Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the Senate President, Inshallah Akpabio, is paranoid about anything that has to do with him in the Senate.

The former Governor of Edo State stated this on Sunday while speaking on MIC ON PODCAST.

According to him, “He (Akpabio) is very paranoid about anything related to me. Everyone in the senate knows that if Senator Akpabio wants, he will expel me from the senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I may be the devil he knows. There are many angels he does not know,” he said.

He said Akpabio had unfounded bias against him despite his contribution to the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory.

He would”Don’t forget that I was the founding governor of the APC and the Deputy DG of the Bola Tinubu Campaign Council that gave us the victory. I am not saying I am responsible for that victory, but I worked for it, and I am happy that we got it.

The senator further predicted that the next Senate leadership set will differ significantly from the current one, citing growing dissatisfaction among lawmakers.

“The 11th Senate will not be like the 10th Senate, this is all I can say. Not likely. Senators are grumbling about his leadership style. But we are trying to manage it, and I have tried to convince him that ‘Listen, Mr. Senate President, I am a very satisfied man.’

“Whatever task is assigned to me, I ask God to give me greater courage and even wisdom to do the job to the satisfaction of my constituents. The Senate President’s bias against me is well known. I will not enter into speculation as to the reasons for his bias,” he said.

Furthermore, Oshiomhole claimed that Akpabio often felt uneasy whenever he interacted with certain senators and gave the example of a meeting involving Senator Abdulaziz Yari.

He said, “A lot of people in the Senate know that. In fact, if I go around the Senate and greet certain people and we have a conversation, the person becomes uncomfortable. I’ll give you an example.

“Senator Yari approached the Senate President and said that he wanted to be the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Home Affairs. I was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Home Affairs. The Senate President said to him, so you want to join Senator Oshiomhole in planning how to remove me as Senate President? But I just laughed at him.”

According to him, the Senate President occupies the position of “first among equals” and remains subject to the collective will of the senators.

“If you understand how the Senate works, the Senate President is the first among equals. Only people the Senators like are elected.

“Remember, if Senator Yari gets a majority, he can become President of the Senate. This is not about what anyone wants. This is about who the senators want,” he warned.