The media aide to Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio, Eseme Eyiboh, has made it clear that his principal will not engage with the corruption and sexual abuse allegations made against him by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Eyiboh, in an interview with Punch, on Thursday, stated that Akpabio respects Atiku and, therefore, will refrain from responding to the claims.
Naijaonpoint reports that Eyiboh was asked to provide his principal’s reaction to Atiku’s comments made in a recent media interview.
Atiku had described Akpabio as a corrupt politician and accused him of abusing women. These allegations were made during an interview on Untold Stories with journalist Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, where Atiku also suggested that the National Assembly’s endorsement of the state of emergency in Rivers State was a result of the alleged corruption of its leadership.
Atiku had said, “The Senate President is actually known for having that type of character, even when he was a governor. He (Akpabio) was not only corrupt as a governor, but he was also in the habit of abusing women. Akpabio is corrupt, not only is he corrupt, he has the habit of abusing women.”
In response, Eyiboh questioned whether Atiku was the appropriate person to comment on corruption in Nigeria.
“Is Atiku the proper person to discuss corruption in Nigeria, from your knowledge of history? So what is his history when it comes to corruption? Is he the proper person to take us on that?” Eyiboh asked.
Eyiboh emphasized that Akpabio, as the Senate President and the third-highest official in Nigeria, would not lower himself to engage in such a debate.
“Anyway, my principal wouldn’t want to engage him on that issue. The Senate President doesn’t respond like that. He’s the former Vice President of Nigeria, and we are giving him that respect.
“So, no matter what he does, we cannot go to the dustbin to fight or start debating with him on such an issue,” Eyiboh added
Eyiboh further explained that Akpabio’s position as the number three citizen in Nigeria required his full attention on important national issues, leaving no time for personal quarrels or debates.
“The Senate President is the number three man in this country, and his primary responsibility is about the preservation of the country’s sovereignty and respect to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So he will not be able to go to the street to join issues with anybody,” he concluded.