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.”
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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