News
Tax Reform Bills: I Never rubbished Musa – Akpabio *Says, Niger Senator first-class lawmaker
Senator Godswill Akpabio, has decried the interpretation being given to his encounter recently with Sani Musa, Senator representing Niger East at the National Assembly, wondering how some people would twist a normal legislative procedure in such a negative manner.
The social media was awash with a video where the Senator seemingly appeared to be struggling after the Senate President asked him to define the expression “harmonise,” before another Senator punctuated the encounter by raising a point of order, prompting Musa to resume his seat.
But in a quick riposte, Akpabio, in a statement by Eseme Eyiboh, his spokesman, dismissed the interpretation given to the effect that Akpabio deliberately “rubbished” the Niger Senator as not only false, but a misrepresentation.
“This is clearly a well-crafted tar brush by these merchants to attract traffic to their blogs and media platforms with the sole aim of advancing their pecuniary voyage and economic gains,” Eyiboh, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Senate President, said in a statement on Friday.
He added: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state without equivocation that what transpired on the floor was normal parliamentary procedure – in the course of asking for explanation not for himself but for all the senators of the word harmonisation as inserted in the Conference Report on the Tax Reform Bills, Senator Sani Musa was interrupted by a Point of Order from Senator Abdul Ningi.
The Senate President, explained that by the Senate Standing Orders and Rules, once a Point of Order was raised, the presiding officer must oblige the senator for the issue to be addressed, adding that granting Ninigi’s Point of Order was also on the same word ‘harmonise.’
He said: “It must be noted that Senator Musa was neither embarrassed nor unable to respond to any question in this particular instance. The Senate President only granted procedural attention to Senator Ningi’s Point of Order. Consequently, the session continued without any breach of decorum. Hence, there was never a time Distinguished Senator Sani Musa was found wanting or rubbished.
“It is on record that Senator Musa is one of the most respected Senators and one of the closest to the Senate President. He has been instrumental in leading key legislative efforts, both as Chairman Joint Committee on Finance, and particularly as Chairman of the Conference Committee that successfully coordinated and worked through all legislative processes and harmonised the ingenious four Tax Reform Bills—a legislative milestone widely commended by both chambers and stakeholders.
“Instead of attempting to tar- brush the image of the Senate, it should be commended for sifting through the voluminous bills and sitting for long hours most of the time to ensure a seamless passage. All these efforts cannot be rubbished by sensational reports over a mere explanation regarding the word ‘harmonise’.
“And to explain further, the word ‘Harmonisation’ as used in the parliamentary parlance is devoid of any ambiguity and as such, a highly educated and very experienced lawmaker as Senator Musa could not have faltered in conveniently explaining it off.
“The Senate President has absolute respect for his colleagues and he is doing a fantastic job of presiding over the Senate in a bipartisan manner and will not contemplate embarrassing any senator, particularly a major All Progressives Congress (APC) senator such as Senator Sani Musa who has contributed immensely in stabilising the 10th Senate and to the overall sustenance of the current democratic dispensation.
“We wish to state categorically that the Nigerian Senate operates on the principles of respect, order, and integrity. While robust public engagement is welcome, it is essential that commentary from various media platforms, should be grounded in fact—not sensationalism.
“The four Tax Reform Bills “are a great initiative from the fertile expertise of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and seek to revolutionise the nation’s tax system and move Nigeria from an oil dependent mono economy to a tax revenue economy.
“Using the Senate as a launchpad and testing ground to attract traffic to social media handles, blogs or platforms is an attempt to undermine the legislature and should be avoided by all professional media practitioners and patriotic Nigerians.
“The 10th Senate under the leadership of Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON has in the last two years exuded uncommon devotion to legislative excellence and commitment to good governance. And it will never be distracted by the antics of buccaneers, who camouflage as journalists to visit on the image of the Senate for personal aggrandisement and monetary gains.”
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
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