In a fiery exposé that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape, Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo has launched a blistering attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of turning the Nigerian Senate into a personal empire and punishing lawmakers who dare to challenge his authority.
Speaking during a revealing interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, the former senator representing Adamawa North alleged that Akpabio masterminded the political ousting of five senators, himself included, as part of a broader scheme to consolidate power and silence dissent.
“He told me personally that five senators would be removed. I asked how he knew, and he said, ‘I am the Senate President. I know,’” Abbo disclosed. “True to his words, five of us were ousted. I had no idea I was one of them.”
According to Abbo, his political downfall was triggered by his refusal to support Akpabio’s Senate Presidency bid, opting instead to back Senator Abdulaziz Yari. He claimed that Akpabio, desperate for his support, visited him at his hotel at 2 a.m., making both emotional and financial appeals.
> “He came to my room at 2 a.m., asking me to switch sides. I told him I was committed to Yari. Later, at a meeting at Transcorp Hilton, $10,000 was being shared. I walked away. I refused to take a kobo,” Abbo recounted.
But the political tension didn’t end there. Abbo painted a grim picture of targeted vindictiveness and marginalization. He alleged that, unlike other senators removed by court rulings, he was denied official entitlements, including his Senate vehicle and travel reimbursements. He also claimed Akpabio blocked his nomination for an international parliamentary engagement.
> “Every senator removed by the courts got their vehicles. I was the only one denied mine. That’s how far the pettiness went,” he said.
Abbo also pointed to the recent removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Senate Chief Whip and Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee as further proof of Akpabio’s authoritarian grip on the chamber.
“Ndume raised concerns about how things were being run. What happened? He was stripped of his roles,” he said.
He further accused Akpabio of manipulating Senate Standing Rules to favor loyalists, alleging that the Senate President amended procedures to allow first-term senators to occupy leadership positions—moves Abbo claimed were designed to keep the Senate under tight control.
> “I moved a motion to amend the rules, so only experienced senators could contest for leadership roles. Akpabio went behind and rewrote the rules to allow first-timers lead both majority and minority caucuses. Why? To ensure they remain loyal and easy to manipulate.”
In one of the most damning claims, Abbo said the Senate President commands such reverence among certain lawmakers that some even serve him tea in his private residence.
> “Do you know that senators serve Akpabio tea in his house? Yes, senators,” Abbo alleged. “I told him, ‘You’re no longer a governor. These senators are not your commissioners. They are our colleagues, not your domestic staff.’”
Despite the drama, Abbo reaffirmed his respect for the Senate as an institution, emphasizing that his issue lies squarely with the leadership and not the legislative body itself.
> “I have always defended the integrity of the Senate. But leadership matters. This is not a kingdom—it’s a democracy.”
As Nigeria watches this high-stakes political drama unfold, questions are mounting about the balance of power, the integrity of democratic institutions, and what this clash of egos means for the future of legislative governance in the country.
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