Atiku: I Know Him Personally And Intimately – Ben Bruce Defends Akpabio

One-time Senator representing Bayelsa East in the 8th Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ben Murray-Bruce, has rejected former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that Senate President Godswill Akpabio is corrupt.

Naijaonpoint reports that Atiku had in an interview with journalist Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie on Untold Stories, described Akpabio as corrupt since his days as governor of Akwa Ibom State. The former Vice President was speaking against the backdrop of the National Assembly’s ratification of the State of Emergency declaration on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

Atiku said: “I was not surprised because I know that the leadership is corrupt, and I have no apologies for that. They could do anything. The Senate President is actually known for having that type of character, even when he was a governor.”

Reacting in a post on his Facebook, Ben Murray-Bruce stated that Akpabio, a former Niger Delta Minister, is as clean as a whistle.

According to him, both the South-South and Nigeria are fortunate to have him at the helm of affairs at the National Assembly.

He wrote: “I know Senator Godswill Akpabio personally and intimately. He is a man of unimpeachable good character, and both the South-South and Nigeria are fortunate to have him at the helm of affairs at the National Assembly at this delicate stage in our national growth.

“On the issue of corruption, here we have a man who has been investigated in and out by independent investigative agencies and friends and foes alike, yet he has come out clean as a whistle.

“Nigeria needs stability and men of ability, and it behoves us as a nation to tread with caution at this critical time of our national life. Institutions such as the Legislature should not be trifled with because of partisan considerations.

“I will not stand idly by while some persons try, both home and abroad, to destroy an institution I was once proudly a part of.

“I am a Nigerian, who is proud of Nigeria, and will give my all to protect and project my country to the world.

“I give him my right hand of fellowship and stand firmly with him.

“Innuendo, hearsay, and dog whistles will always come. But they can never be so powerful that they will take preeminence over facts.”