MadamExcellency:
Akpabio was more lenient than 50% of the Senators on the condition set to restore Natasha to the Senate.
Akpabio is a good man at heart with a forgiving spirit.
It is because his name is at the center of the crisis, it is not good for his image. The quicker it is resolved, the better for him too, forget about having upper hand.
gulfer:
Fools, Natasha will not submit any apology (written or verbal). She has them by the balls......😁😁😁😁
On a more serious note, is this what the Senate should be discussing in the first instance, this country is not ready at all
They claim....Natasha will apologize. That's how business rolls
Very childish senate house with all the billions they budget for the senate every year they can't even fix a simple electronic voting system in that house where everyone will see the votes of every senator in a large screen.
There was no difficulty here, Akpabio clearly gave Akpos a chance to apologize so that here suspension can be lifted or shortened. The Senators want a full 6months without any lifting considerations.
siraj1402:
EFCC Arrests Ex-Governor Akpabio Over Alleged Multi-billion Naira Fraud
A former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and incumbent Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, was on Friday arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
TIMES investigation shows that Mr. Akpabio was taken in by EFCC operatives at about 5.20 pm.
He was said to have been accompanied a few aides and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Ricky Tarfa.
An aide to the former governor, who cannot be named because he is not authorised to speak on the matter told TIMES that Mr. Akpabio is currently being interrogated by top officials of the EFCC.
An EFCC source confirmed the development.
“He was brought in at about 5.20 pm accompanied by a few aides and Mr. Rickey Tarfa,” the source said.
“It is not yet known whether he will be allowed to go this night. It depends on how the interrogation goes.”
The spokesperson for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, did not answer or return calls seeking comment for this story.
The EFCC had begun investigation into alleged theft of N108.1billion of Akwa Ibom funds by the former governor in June.
The action followed a petition forwarded to the commission by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong.
Mr. Ekpenyong had on June 8 petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, calling for Mr. Akpabio’s probe and accusing him of looting Akwa Ibom state treasury.
Investigations by TIMES showed that several other indigenes of the state who are demanding the investigation of the former governor, have been invited by the EFCC to adopt their petitions.
On his part, Mr. Ekpenyong was summoned on Wednesday, June 17, to adopt his petition and provide more details to some of the allegations he made against Mr. Akpabio.
The former governor, now senator, was elected in 2007, at a time the nation enjoyed robust oil revenue.
Akwa Ibom and Rivers States are Nigeria’s largest oil-producing states. The two states alternate as first and second top producers periodically.
The two states receive the highest funds allocation from the Federation s Allocation Committee, FAAC, monthly.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics and the office of the ant General of the Federation indicate that under Mr. Akpabio, known for ostentatious spending, Akwa Ibom received a staggering N1. 6 trillion from FAAC between June 2007 and May 2014.
At the time he vacated office on May 29, the state received more, excluding other revenues like Ecological Funds, internally generated revenue etc.
In a new petition to the EFCC dated June 22, and copied to Mr. Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, Mr. Ekpenyong gave details of some of Mr. Akpabio’s alleged financial recklessness.
He alleged that between January and December 2014, the ex-governor colluded with two of his top aides to steal a whopping N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury.
Mr. Ekpenyong told the EFCC that the former Government House Permanent Secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the former ant General of the state, Udo Isobara, colluded with Mr. Akpabio to steal the funds.
“Between January –December 2014, it is on record that the trio of Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Etekamba Umoren and Mr. Udo Isobara, made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned with Zenith Bank with number: 1010375881 amounting to N22.1 billion,” he stated in the petition.
“It is worthy of note that reasons for such ungodly cash withdrawals against financial regulations and due process laws range between sundry use and unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and proxies.
“For example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by Mr. Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.”
For assisting Mr. Akpabio retire billions of the stolen funds, Mr. Ekpenyong said Mr. Umoren was rewarded with an appointment as Government House chief of staff and now secretary to the state government under Udom Emmanuel’s istration.
The legal practitioner went on to state that over N50 billion of Akwa Ibom funds were spent by the former governor during the last general elections.
During the period under review, he said Mr. Akpabio also withdrew a whopping N18 billion from the state coffers under the guise of special services, reception of very important guests and sundry items.
“The cumulative aggregate of these monies stolen by Godswill Akpabio from the coffers of government as pocket money is the annual budget of some states in Nigeria put together,” the petition reads.
He listed the bouquet of assets acquired by the former governor through surrogates to include a multi-billion naira mansion at Plot 5 Okogosi Spring Close, off Katsina-Ala Crescent, Maitama-Abuja, a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama, Abuja and another multi-billion naira mansion at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Others include a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 23 Olusegun Aina Street, Parkview, Lagos and a multi-billion naira 25 storey building at Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“As earlier promised, more details of assets and graft-related funds illegally and fraudulently siphoned from Akwa Ibom State treasury and laundered to foreign destinations are in the offing. As usual, we will do the needful.
We will not submit anything. Shey na 6 months? We dey here. We go fall back.
I thought you said she should not address herself as a senator anywhere during the time of her suspension. Why are you confused Man referring to her as Senator Natasha 😂
gulfer:
Fools, Natasha will not submit any apology (written or verbal). She has them by the balls......😁😁😁😁
On a more serious note, is this what the Senate should be discussing in the first instance, this country is not ready at all
Nobi only balls. Na scrotum.. dey play, na she dey chop suspension. Everything she dy do, neva affect akpabio or anyone in d senate. Who she do?
Observer210:
you are indirectly calling us animals
Are you not an animal? Or are you a inanimate object, a tree, a spirit or a god? Where do you you belong? And we are in an horrible zoo, because there is even more sanity and orderliness in the animals kingdom than in Nigeria. In which country in the world does serving civil servants like Judges, military generals, policeman, of the election authority belongs to political parties? In this modern age, in which democratic country in the world has a president suspend an elected governor? Why hasn't it happen in the US that has more states than us or other countries?
you call us animals on a regular basis. Every small thing u call the country animal society meaning we r the animals, because we r the occupants of the place u call animal society.
There r good people and sensible people in Nigeria stop generalizing
Are you not an animal? Or are you a inanimate object, a tree, a spirit or a god? Where do you you belong? And we are in an horrible zoo, because there is even more sanity and orderliness in the animals kingdom than in Nigeria. In which country in the world does serving civil servants like Judges, military generals, policeman, of the election authority belongs to political parties? In this modern age, in which democratic country in the world has a president suspend an elected governor? Why hasn't it happen in the US that has more states than us or other countries?
what about calling the leaders animals or other name because they r the ones doing all the atrocities. There r good people in Nigeria, stop calling us animals. I am not an animal
Apology because a randy man is having a fit and playing politics? Nonsense!!!
It's time to stop acting like children. Natasha has been pursuing Akpabio since his tenure as NDDC Chairman, where he awarded her a billion-naira contract. She then used that leverage to blackmail her current husband into marrying her. She is a third wife and seems to prefer power, fame, and money over all else.
If she wants to make accusations, she should provide evidence instead of just rambling. Isn’t she the one who chose to meet Akpabio at a hotel for Senate activities, which should have taken place in the Senate chamber or one of the hostels there? When things turned sour and she lost her lucrative committee chairmanship, that's when she began to misbehave and disrespect Senate protocols, which ultimately led to her suspension.
malali: Senator Natasha Akpoti owes nobody a written apology — neither morally nor constitutionally.
There is absolutely no provision in the Nigerian Constitution that mandates a written apology from a sitting senator for expressing her views or defending her dignity. Nigeria is not running a paternalistic monarchy where senators must grovel to power.
Senator Natasha should stand her ground firmly.
In fact, during the Senate proceedings, it was clear the majority of senators did not Akpabio’s attempt to force compliance — they shouted NAY in unison. Yet, in a display of disturbing political manipulation, Senate President Akpabio kept forcing the vote by confusing the chamber with repetitive calls for AYE — an embarrassing spectacle of legislative bullying.
This is what the Nigerian Senate has been reduced to — a theater of absurdity led by perhaps the least intellectually inspiring Senate President in recent history.
For over 2 months, the entire National Assembly has been obsessed with Natasha Akpoti’s issue — while:
• Crude oil sales drop daily
• The naira bleeds against the dollar
• Inflation crushes ordinary Nigerians
• Global investors flee our markets
If Brent crude oil price hits $40/barrel — Nigeria’s fragile economy will implode. The country would struggle to meet basic obligations:
→ Salaries
→ Forex allocations
→ Fuel subsidies
→ Infrastructure maintenance
NA YOU NAH PUSHED FUBURA TILL HE NAILED HIMSELF.
YOU NAH DEY CARRY EGOCENTRIC ATTITUDES UP AND DOWN THAT MAY LEAD YOU ALL TO YOUR EARLY GRAVE
Observer210:
what about calling the leaders animals or other name because they r the ones doing all the atrocities. There r good people in Nigeria, stop calling us animals. I am not an animal
And it is not possible for animals to be ruling over humans. Animals rule over animals.
NOETHNICITY:
The low-IQ obidense headless mob erroneously think that ‘NAY’ response favors Natasha!
The prayer being read by the SP is a motion that for Natasha’s suspension to be lifted she has to first issue an apology. So a ‘NAY’ response would mean that the senators want an unconditional suspension of Natasha!
This is why the SP decided to read it to them a second time for their understanding
But Akpabio said that the YES has it. So you mean that the judgement favored Natasha or what? Go and watch the end of the video and rephrase your statement.
NOETHNICITY:
The low-IQ obidense headless mob erroneously think that ‘NAY’ response favors Natasha!
The prayer being read by the SP is a motion that for Natasha’s suspension to be lifted she has to first issue an apology. So a ‘NAY’ response would mean that the senators want an unconditional suspension of Natasha!
This is why the SP decided to read it to them a second time for their understanding
Listen to it again "For the Senate to consider lifting the suspension or reducing the tenure of the suspension senator Natasha shall submit a written/ letter of apology to the Senate before any reconsideration by the Nigerian Senate"
According to you and I quote "The prayer being read by the SP is a motion that for Natasha’s suspension to be lifted she has to first issue an apology" wrong.
The apology as said by apabio is for the Senate to to "consider" lifting or reducing the tenure of the suspension. Ie when she apologises only then will they now meet to see what will be done. It means she has itted guilt and shown remorse which may complicate her legally.
Senators voting no, means she does not have to apologise through a letter before her matter should be considered.
The question was posed to deep seek AI for analysis;
This statement means that for the Nigerian Senate to even **consider** ending or reducing the suspension of Senator Natasha, she must first **submit a formal written apology letter** to the Senate.
### Breakdown:
1. **Condition for Reconsideration** – The Senate will **not** discuss lifting or shortening her suspension unless she first submits an apology letter.
2. **Formal Requirement** – The apology must be in **writing** (not just verbal).
3. **Process** – Only after the Senate receives this letter will they **possibly** review her suspension. The apology does **not guarantee** her reinstatement—it is just the first step.
### In Simple :
- **No apology letter = No discussion** about ending her suspension.
- **Apology letter submitted = Senate may then decide** whether to reduce or lift the suspension.
