Oshiomhole Accuses Akpabio of Bias, Says Senate President Wants Him Out

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of bias against him, saying the Senate leader sees him as a threat within the chamber.

Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, made the remarks during a Mic on Podcast interview reported by P.M. News and Daily Post on Monday. He said some senators were unhappy with Akpabio’s leadership style and predicted that the next Senate would not operate like the current one.

According to P.M. News, Oshiomhole said Akpabio’s alleged bias against him was already known among senators. He argued that his role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress and in President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 campaign should not make him a target in the Senate.

“He is so paranoid about anything that has to do with me. Everybody in the Senate knows that if Senator Akpabio had his way, he would lock me out of the Senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I am probably the devil he knows,” Oshiomhole was quoted as saying.

Daily Post reported a similar account, saying Oshiomhole linked the tension to the upper chamber’s standing rules and warned that the political balance in the 11th Senate could be different from the present one.

The former Edo governor also alleged that Akpabio becomes uncomfortable when he is seen speaking with certain senators, including Abdulaziz Yari, who contested the Senate presidency against Akpabio in 2023.

Oshiomhole said he had tried to reassure Akpabio that he was not desperate for any Senate position. He added that the Senate President remains first among equals and can only lead with the confidence of his colleagues.

The remarks extend a running dispute around Senate leadership, internal APC politics and the handling of recent National Assembly disagreements. NaijaTrend earlier reported the Senate rules clash involving Oshiomhole and Akpabio here.

The latest comments also followed the Senate’s move to distance itself from Oshiomhole’s criticism of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which the chamber said was his personal view and not the official position of the Senate.

Sources: PM News, Daily Post