***apologize to protesting youths
The president of the senate, Godswill Akpabio should immediately resign his position and tender apology to the protesting youths over his utterances on the ongoing nationwide Endbadgovernance protests, former commissioner for Information Culture and Tourism and Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state, Hon Jonathan Vatsa has charged
Vatsa said Akpabiot has not only embarrassed the APC where he has “come to continue eating” after 16 years of eating in the opposition People Democratic party (PDP), his Constituency and the red chamber but the entire Nigerians with his utterances.
The former publicity secretary of the party in Niger state in a statement in Minna on Tuesday titled “time for Akpabio to go is now” while reacting to a comment credited to him, said it is unfortunate that while eminent and distinguished Nigerians are busy appealing to the protesting Nigerian youths to give peace a chance and embrace dialogue with the government over the current economic hardship in the country, “Akpabio decided to go the way of comedy”.
It would be recalled that Akpabio, in the build up the EndBadGovernance protest last week, said those who wanted to protest could do so while he and other persons loyal to president Bola Tinubu will continue eating from his administration.
“While you protest, we shall be eating,” Akpabio was quoted to have said. An utterance Vatsa described as “very callous and regrettable, coming from the number three citizen of the country”.
Vatsa said in an ideal situation and in a decent society, Akpabio shouldn’t have been made the senate president in an APC control government, stressing that “these were the same group of people that we accused of looting this country for 16 years.
“It is a huge error and a disservice to this country to turn round and make someone like Akpabio a Senate president in APC government. That is why this government can never get it right.
“APC as a party has been hijacked by those that Nigerians were fed up with and decided to embrace”Change” in 2015. They have been eating and they want to continue eating like Akpabio made Nigerians to believe”.
According to Vatsa, “I said it before and I will repeat it that it is sad that we are giving red carpet reception to those we initially accused of looting this country with reckless abandon, so how can we get it right.
“The same eating Akpabio ate for 16 years under PDP government, he still wants to continue to eat under APC government. This is a tragedy of a nation”.
Aside this, Vatsa said that many criteria disqualified Akpabio from holding the position of the Senate president under APC controlled government, stressing that “Akpabio is from a state controlled by opposition party and therefore shouldn’t have been allowed to occupy the seat of the Senate president”.
He expressed regrets that the party leadership could not find a competent person to be Senate president despite the caliber of intellectuals in the south east and south south, stressing that “recently the same Akpabio publicly insulted a married woman on the floor of the Senate by comparing her with night club girls, only for him to turn around to tender a belated apology.
“The sins of Akpabio so far as a Senate president is worst than that of Ali Ndume which earned him suspension. I therefore call on the Senate president to immediately resign his position as the Senate president in other to restore the dignity of our great party.
“This party must begin to redeem its image and build confidence in Nigerians before 2027. This must start from Akpabio resignation toa let Nigerians know that we are serious as a party”, he added.