Oshiomhole Claims Akpabio Views Him with Suspicion Amid Growing Chamber Tensions

Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) has publicly stated that Senate President Godswill Akpabio harbors an intense, unfounded suspicion toward him. Speaking on a recent podcast episode, the former Edo State Governor claimed that Akpabio’s leadership style has left many lawmakers disgruntled, predicting that the structural dynamic of the next Senate will look significantly different.

The comments come amid escalating friction within the upper legislative chamber. Oshiomhole asserted that despite his status as a founding governor of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his high-profile role in the 2023 presidential campaign council, Akpabio remains deeply uneasy about his presence and influence.

“He is so paranoid about anything that has to do with me,” Oshiomhole remarked, adding that if the Senate President had his way, he would bar him from the chamber entirely. The lawmaker claimed that Akpabio’s discomfort regularly manifests during ordinary interactions on the Senate floor, citing an instance where Akpabio allegedly questioned Senator Abdulaziz Yari’s motives for wanting to join the Senate Committee on Interior—which Oshiomhole chairs—implying it was a plot to orchestrate his removal.

Reminding the public of the constitutional framework of legislative leadership, Oshiomhole emphasized that the Senate President is merely “first among equals” and remains entirely subject to the collective support of individual senators.

The internal rift intensified just days after the Senate officially distanced itself from Oshiomhole’s sharp public criticism of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The red chamber adopted a formal motion to clarify that his statements were entirely personal and did not reflect the institution’s stance. This legislative pushback followed an attempt by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts to issue an arrest warrant for former NNPCL chief Mele Kyari, an action the Senate leadership strictly reined in by reinforcing that no committee can execute arrest warrants without the Senate President’s explicit authorization.

Media aides for the Senate President have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Oshiomhole’s statements.