WAR At The Senate: Akpabio, Senate Leader Bamidele Fight Dirty, Exchange Powerful Blows? SEE Full Details
Jackson Ude, a former aide to ex- President Goodluck Jonathan and a seasoned independent journalist, has made serious allegations against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.
Ude’ s claims, posted on social media platform X, suggested a violent confrontation between the two top lawmakers during a Senate session this week. According to Ude, the altercation occurred at the Senate Cafeteria, with the two politicians engaging in a physical fight, holding each other by the neck and exchanging blows.
He reported that the situation only de- escalated with the intervention of Senator Sani Bello from Niger State, who reportedly stepped in to prevent the altercation from turning into a ” bloodbath. ” Ude further claimed that the incident highlighted growing tensions and deep divisions within the Senate, attributing the conflict to Akpabio’ s leadership style.
Insider sources reportedly told Ude that the altercation stemmed from Bamidele’ s dissatisfaction with Akpabio’ s appointment of a Northerner as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream). According to these sources, Bamidele felt that Akpabio had marginalised the South West Caucus and given lucrative positions to his personal allies, further straining relations between the two.
However, the Senate Leader’ s office swiftly denied the allegations. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs for Senator Opeyemi Bamidele dismissed the reports as false, labelling them as an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Senate leadership.
The office insisted that Bamidele, throughout his political career, has never been involved in any form of physical altercation. This includes his time as the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, where his leadership was marked by his commitment to peaceful conduct.
In a post on X, Ude had shared that both Senate leaders had been involved in a violent fight, but the Senate Leader’ s office made it clear that the incident was purely fabricated. The statement clarified that on the day the alleged altercation was said to have taken place, both Akpabio and Bamidele were seen together after the Senate’ s plenary session.
They had met with the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. YU Dunhai, and his delegation. Furthermore, the statement highlighted that both leaders left the National Assembly premises together, dispelling the notion of any conflict between them.
In response to the false claims, Senator Bamidele’ s office warned against spreading misinformation and unprofessional conduct, calling out Ude for propagating fake news. The office stressed that Bamidele would not hesitate to pursue legal action under the Cybercrime Act of 2015, should such allegations continue to spread.
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” We urge the public to disregard this misinformation and treat it with the disrespect it entirely deserves, ” the statement concluded. Bamidele’ s office also warned other individuals who seek to tarnish his reputation to be mindful, stressing that his patience and professionalism should not be taken for granted.
