How Northern Senators’ Plotted Against Akpabio Over Failure To Tame Tinubu On ‘Lopsided Appointments’

A few days after facts emerged that plans were underway to push for the ouster of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, there are facts that northern senators are angry over the alleged neglect of region by President Bola Tinubu and the inability of Akpabio to tame him.

Some northern senators, who spoke to newsmen in confidence, said the revelation that there was disaffection on committee appointments was only diversionary.

According to the senators, the real angst of the group of senators, is the suspicion of the incapacity of Akpabio to checkmate what some northern senators claimed was appointment of key individuals that would manage the country’s financial system and the economy.

Besides the alleged perception of Akpabio’s lack of capacity to checkmate the purported domination of an ethnic nationality in the financial ecosystem, his alleged refusal to deal with some powerful interest groups, particularly some petrol importers and the electricity distribution companies on some proposed financial deals bordering on 40 per cent electricity tariff hike and payment of outstanding money to fuel importers.

Media reports had last weekend alleged a plot by some unnamed senators against Akpabio, alleging lopsided distribution of Grade A committees mainly in favour of his supporters and to the discrimination of those who opposed him during the leadership contest.

While it was gathered that the allegation may have some substance, it has, however, emerged that some senators who worked against his emergence as Senate president may have regrouped using as a reason, his apparent failure to check the lopsided appointments by the president in favour of a zone , especially in the financial sector.

The group, sources said,has now formally come out by presenting Elisha Abbo, All Progressives Congress, Adamawa North as its face.

Abbo, at the weekend, accused Akpabio of marginalising his rivals in the leadership contest and their supporters in the distribution of the committee positions.

However, sources within the Abbo group have revealed that the angst of the group was beyond the Senate president.

The sources said: “The main issue is our fear that Akpabio cannot check the massive appontments of key operatos of the financial system that is going on now from a zone ”

One of sources alluded to the appointments at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Customs, among others.

“Yes, the reason you can see that northerners are mostly involved is that most of those being removed and replaced with Yoruba are northerners,” the source further said.

It was further gathered that the aim of the senators is to enthrone a Senate president the group believes can checkmate President Tinubu. Besides the appointments, the group is also said to be working on behalf of some interest groups in the economy who believe they were short-changed after reaching agreements with the president and Akpabio on the payment of subsidy to the petrol importers.

It was gathered that an arrangement had been reached with the presidency that funds generated from the removal of fuel subsidy would be used to settle petrol importers within the first two months of the removal of subsidy.

The fund amounting to N2 trillion has, however, not been so used but rather pushed to palliative intervention.

Another interest group said to have infiltrated the ranks of the dissident senators were some electricity distribution companies who were said to have also reached an agreement with the presidency and Akpabio for an upward review of 40 per cent of tariff.

That agreement was, however, discountenanced on the Senate floor by Akpabio.

Just like those being pushed out in the appointments in the financial sector, northern business interest groups are believed to be more affected by the decision not to pay the petrol importers.

(Daily Sun, excluding headline)