By Chibuike Nwabuko
Following the seeming discontentment among Senators of the 10th Assembly over the leadership style of the current Senate President, Godswil Akpabio, the Executive Director, Hallowmace Foundation, Sunny Anderson Osiebe has appealed to the Senate President against any form of high-handedness.
Osiebe also warned members of the Senate against any plan of impeachment, noting that achieving that would not be as easy as they would imagine.
Anderson Osiebe stated this while appearing on News Central breakfast show to react to some issues generating discuss at the Senate.
Speaking further on any purported plan for impeachment, Osiebe said, “It is something that you get to hear almost every time in a parliamentary setting. But, the President of the Senate is the most difficult person to impeach, because all he needs to emerge is a simple majority whereas you will need 2/3 to get him impeached.
“And going by what is presently happening, it seems that Akpabio has the 2/3 to himself and in his pocket. He has been able to find a way to rally round those who don’t like him and bring them to his side. It’s going to be a little bit difficult, talking about impeachment.
“But for me, I am not too keen about impeaching Senator Godswil Akpabio, I am only concerned about making him understand that the Senate is a different ball game entirely. Being, the Senate president simply means that you are first among equals, which means that you must find a way to carry the members along, and definitely find a way to manage the crisis happening within the Senate.
“So, what is happening presently in the National Assembly is not new and we get to hear it more often.
The Hallowmace Foundation, Executive Director offered more advise to the Senate President, “But Senator Akpabio for now should be able to understand that the Senate is a different ball game entirely, and the Senate is not Akwa Ibon state or probably the Ministry of Niger Delta where he held sway for a long time and dictated what happened and all that. At those places, it was a one man show, but the Senate is Nigeria, and when you talk about Nigeria you talk about the Nigerian Senate. I just think he has to bring his head low.
“He is dealing with people with more experience than him in terms of legislative practice. Somebody like Senator Ali Ndume has been in the National Assembly since 2003. So, you cannot take away his experience because he has it. the same applies to others who have been there too.
“I want to say that Senator Godswil Akpabio is the luckiest law maker I have ever seen. He came to the National Assembly in 2015 and he ascended to be minority leader, and he is coming back for the second time as the Senate President. So, let him not think that that is how easy it is. He is just lucky and probably because of his huge pocket which is what got him those positions. However, he should not throw away experience, he needs to be properly guided. He needs to be properly guided because the way and manner he goes about the Senate is not really what most people expected.
“But, I know it is a gradual process, and with time he will begin to understand and get it right,” he concluded.