The Senate has denied claims that the newly appointed Managing Director of the South-South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, is the daughter of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Naijaonpoint reports that President Bola Tinubu had nominated Akpabio as the Commission’s MD and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche from Rivers State, as its Chairman.
Shortly after the letter was made public, speculation spread that Akpabio is the Senate President’s first daughter.
However, speaking in an interview with Punch, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu dismissed the rumours as baseless.
He said, “There is no iota of truth in that report. It’s just like hearing someone named Adaramodu in Osun or Ondo and assuming he’s my brother. Things don’t work that way.”
According to him, despite sharing a surname and state of origin, there is no familial relationship between the two Akpabios.
“The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is entirely different from Usoro Akpabio, the MD of the South-South Development Commission. Culturally, people may have similar names, but that doesn’t mean they are related.
“This appointment was based on merit and was made by the President. She is not in any way connected to the former governor of Akwa Ibom.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean a qualified member of the Senate President’s family couldn’t be appointed. But in this particular case, there is no relationship whatsoever,” Adaramodu stated.