Former Minister of Education and Solid Minerals, Oby Ezekwesili, a distinguished figure in Nigeria and former World Bank chief, recently made a striking declaration regarding the suitability of Godswill Akpabio for the position of Senate President.
In her candid assessment, Oby Ezekwesili asserted that Akpabio is not a fit and proper individual to hold such a significant role in Nigeria’s political landscape.
The genesis of Ezekwesili’s statement can be traced back to a recent crisis that unfolded within the Nigerian Senate. Akpabio, serving as the Senate President, faced vehement rebuke from senators affiliated with the Labour Party.
Read also: NNPP Criticizes Appeal Court’s Ruling on Kano Governor’s Victory as Scandalous Judicial Debacle
Led by Senator Tony Nwoye from Anambra state, these opposition lawmakers criticized Akpabio for what they perceived as negligence in the nomination of principal officers in the Red Chambers.
Adding fuel to the fire, the Appeal Court’s decision to sack Darlington Nwokocha, who held the Senate Minority Whip position on behalf of the Labour Party, exacerbated tensions. To the dismay of LP senators, Nwokocha’s replacement was Osita Ngwu, a senator from the Peoples Democratic Party hailing from Enugu state.
This reshuffling triggered uproar within the Senate, a situation that has become a recurring decimal since Akpabio assumed the role of Senate President.
Oby Ezekwesili, expressing her concern and disappointment, took to a platform identified as “X” to articulate her views on the matter. She characterized the state of Nigerian democracy as sharply declining and attributed this deterioration, in part, to Senator Akpabio.
In her scathing critique, she questioned Akpabio’s legitimacy as a senator, let alone as the Senate President, pointing fingers at what she deemed as the corruption and capture of the country’s judiciary by decadent politicians.
Oby Ezekwesili X Reads:
“Our sharply declining Nigerian Democracy was apparently further assaulted by Senator Godswill Akpabio, who should never have been answering the title of Senator not to talk of “Senate President” were it not for the rottenness of the country’s judiciary that has obviously thrown caution to the wind and allowed itself to be corrupted and captured by decadent politicians.
“Mr Akpabio is regrettably caught up in the web of Hubris.
“We should remind him and his band of destroyers of democracy the wise and legendary words of Marianne Williamson:
“Empires always have the hubris to think they are indestructible, when in fact they are always unsustainable.”
Read also: ECOWAS Parliament To Lift Sanctions Impose On Niger Republic
This critique from a respected figure like Oby Ezekwesili adds a significant dimension to the ongoing political discourse in Nigeria. It raises questions not only about Akpabio’s suitability for his current position but also about the state of democratic institutions and the integrity of the judiciary in the country.
As the controversy unfolds, it remains to be seen how these concerns will influence the political landscape and the trajectory of Nigeria’s democracy.
