…As Akpabio apologises, Oshiomhole recalls ‘massaging woman’s legs’ jibe, says no more hostilities

“Sorry, we have a truce. Agreement is agreement. Oshiomhole is my brother, friend and colleague” — Akpabio

By Henry Umoru, Abuja

A mild drama occurred on the floor of the Senate on Thursday as Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of breaching a truce agreement between them after the latter made reference to a previous controversy involving him.

The exchange occurred during the consideration of a motion on the persistent non-compliance of Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with invitations issued by the Senate Committee on Finance.

The motion, sponsored by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), focused on the refusal of some agencies to honour invitations as part of the Senate’s oversight responsibilities.

Shortly after deliberations on the motion, Oshiomhole raised a point of order, accusing Akpabio of violating an agreement they reached to stop making references to past controversies involving each other.

His reaction followed a comment by Akpabio linking to an earlier viral video controversy that purportedly showed Oshiomhole massaging the legs of a South African woman on a private jet. Oshiomhole had dismissed the video as artificially generated.

Oshiomhole said he and Akpabio had agreed to end hostilities and avoid references to past issues.

“I want to report to this House that the Senate President and I signed a truce of no more hostilities, and the Senate President breached the truce by reverting to a previous matter with a view to behaving like…” he said.

Amid laughter from lawmakers, he added: “So I told Mr Senate President, the truce is signed. You should not violate, I will not violate.

“You are my brother. You are my brother. You are my leader. You are my president. So that is all I want to say.”

Oshiomhole, however, said he would not pursue the matter further, adding that he was withdrawing his planned action.

“I am not going to read the order I am doing. Order 72, I hereby drop it. Just to say, sir, protect vertically challenged people in the Senate. Thank you, sir,” he added.

Responding, Akpabio apologised to Oshiomhole, saying he did not intend to offend him with his comment.

“Let me, first of all, apologise to distinguished Senator Oshiomhole. If whatever I said could have in any way injured him or inferred to offend him,” Akpabio said.

The Senate President explained that his comment was made while responding to Senator Ogoshi Onawo’s reference to an earlier debate over the cancellation of a proposed warrant of arrest.

“I was responding to Senator Ogoshi when he referred to the issue that we cancelled the proposed warrant of arrest. Which at that time, distinguished Senator Oshiomhole said we should bring the man dead or alive,” he said.

Akpabio acknowledged their agreement, saying: “Sorry, we have a truce. No more hostilities. Agreement is agreement.”

He assured Oshiomhole that he would avoid further references to past controversies, adding that the Senate leadership would continue to protect all lawmakers.

“I will never refer to the unsenatorial comment of bringing the man dead or alive. But I want to assure you that this chair will protect everyone, every single senator,” he said.

The Senate President described Oshiomhole as his brother, friend and colleague, noting their previous relationship as governors.

“I hold him in very high esteem. And I assure you that agreement is agreement,” Akpabio said.

Akpabio ended the exchange with another joke, saying he would not behave like countries that break agreements shortly after signing them.

“I will not behave like America and Iran. When they have an agreement today and two days later they will bomb each other,” he said, drawing laughter from the chamber.

Earlier, Senator Ogoshi Onawo (APC, Nasarawa South), while contributing to the motion by Senator Sani Musa that triggered the exchange between Akpabio and Oshiomhole, said the Senate must exercise its constitutional powers to compel attendance of officials who fail to honour invitations.

Onawo cited Section 89(1)(d) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which empowers the Senate to issue warrants compelling the attendance of persons who refuse to appear after being summoned.

He urged the Senate to first communicate with defaulting agencies and invoke constitutional powers where necessary.

Akpabio had earlier said the Senate could no longer continue lamenting about agencies refusing to appear before committees, insisting that the chamber would use powers granted by the Constitution.

“If any committee reports that the head of an agency has refused to appear, the Senate can invite that person to appear before the whole Senate. If the individual still refuses to appear, we will exercise our constitutional powers to compel attendance,” he said.

Onawo also urged the Senate to look inward, recalling previous instances where agencies failed to honour invitations without facing consequences.

He cited the recent failure of officials of the Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission to appear before the Senate Committee on Sports as an example of disregard for legislative invitations.

The member representing Bindawa/Mani Federal Constituency of Katsina State in the House of Representatives, Ahmed Yusuf Doro, has defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The defection was announced during Thursday’s plenary after the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, read Doro’s letter notifying the House of his decision.

In the letter, dated July 18, 2026, the lawmaker said his decision followed extensive consultations with his constituents and careful consideration of what he described as the best path to strengthen service delivery and representation.

According to him, the move would enable him to better represent the interests of the people of Bindawa/Mani Federal Constituency while remaining committed to his legislative responsibilities in the 10th House of Representatives.

Doro also expressed appreciation to the leadership and members of the APC for their support during his time in the party.

He reaffirmed his commitment to providing effective representation and pursuing sustainable development for his constituency under his new political platform.

The lawmaker’s defection takes effect from July 18, 2026, in accordance with the notification submitted to the Speaker.

By Shina Abubakar, OSOGBO

AHEAD of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, the Accord Party and Police Command, yesterday, traded accusations over the neutrality of security agencies in the state.

The Chairman of the Accord Party, Pastor Victor Akande, accused the Osun Police Command of providing cover for suspected thugs, while members of rival groups, particularly transport union members, were subjected to harassment and selective arrests.

Akande urged the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, to order an impartial investigation into the activities of all individuals linked to the recent violence in the state and ensure that anyone found culpable was prosecuted regardless of political affiliation.

However, Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, dismissed the allegations, describing them as false and misleading, maintaining that it remained committed to professionalism, impartiality and the rule of law.

He said it had never provided protection for any individual, political party or criminal group, stressing that its operations were intelligence-driven and based strictly on credible evidence.

Ojelabi said: “Arrests were not carried out based on media reports, political statements or social media allegations, but on evidence capable of sustaining prosecution in court. Several suspects linked to breaches of public peace had already been arrested, investigated and charged where sufficient evidence existed, while investigations into other reported incidents were ongoing.

“Some of the arrested suspects had confessed to plans to procure arms and ammunition to perpetrate further violence.”