The Office of the Senate President has reacted to the controversy trailing a recent visit of Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to the Senate Chamber.
There were reports that Mrs Akpabio had an “unholy access” to the chamber as she was said to have visited the facility with marabouts and spiritualists. The nature of the visit, which took place on a Saturday, has raised eyebrows, with many questioning the motive behind the development.
But reacting to the development, Dr. Jibril Lawal Tafida, Special Adviser to the President of the Senate on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organizations, described the reports as “misinformation”.
In a statement on Saturday, Tafida said Mrs Akpabio’s visit was purely administrative.
According to him, Mrs Akpabio visited the National Assembly Complex on a Saturday to personally observe and assess malfunctioning equipment and facilities within the chamber.
The action, Tafida said, was taken at the instance of the Senate President who had received numerous complaints from senators and staff regarding the poor state of some facilities and the shoddy execution of contractual works.
Tafida refuted claims that Mrs Akpabio was accompanied by individuals described as “marabouts” or persons of questionable character.
He described the individuals that accompanied the Senate President’s wife as “duly engaged professionals and technical specialists, including electrical engineers, ICT and audio-visual system technicians, and building maintenance experts whose expertise was required for the inspection”.
He emphasized that the visit was conducted within the knowledge and authorization of relevant officials, adding that there was no breach of security protocols.
Regarding the timing of the visit – a Saturday – he noted that such administrative oversight is best carried out when the chamber is not in session to avoid disrupting legislative activities.
Tafida urged the public to disregard the reports and treat them as an attempt to manufacture a controversy where none exists.
He insisted that Nigeria’s National Assembly “remains one of the most secure and well-managed democratic institutions in Africa”, and expressed full confidence in its protocols and personnel.
It was reported that the Senate President’s wife visited the National Assembly Chamber with individuals described as marabouts and spiritualists.