In a dramatic moment at the Senate plenary on October 17, 2018, then-Senate President Bukola Saraki and Godswill Akpabio, representing Akwa Ibom North-West, clashed over a seating arrangement dispute, leading to chaos in the upper chamber......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
The altercation began after the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East, Albert Akpan, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating plans to disrupt the 2019 governorship election in the state.
Akpabio, eager to respond, attempted to use the microphone at Senator Ali Ndume’s seat because his own was malfunctioning.
However, Saraki refused to grant him permission, instructing him instead to move to another seat with a functional microphone, which had been assigned to him by the Senate clerk.
Akpabio’s insistence on using Ndume’s microphone sparked a commotion, throwing the chamber into disarray.
In the midst of the uproar, the Senate clerk revealed that Akpabio had earlier been offered a seat with a working microphone but opted for one without.
Addressing journalists after the heated session, Akpabio went further, calling for Saraki’s resignation, arguing that the APC had secured the majority in the Senate.
The incident took place just months after Akpabio defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.
Interestingly, a similar dispute arose on Thursday, this time involving Akpabio—now Senate President—and the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over another change in seating arrangements.
Recall that Naija News earlier reported that Akpoti-Uduaghan, disrupted the plenary session due to an unauthorized change of her seating arrangement.
Naija News understands that the session, overseen by Akpabio, was in progress when Chief Whip Senator, Mohammed Ali Monguno raised a point of order regarding what he described as the “improper seating position” of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Before Monguno could finish his statement, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan erupted in a loud confrontation, prompting the Sergeant-at-Arms to intervene and attempt to escort her from the chamber.