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We didn’t collect $15,000 as emergency rule vote buying bribe, Akpabio denies, House too

By KEMI KASUMU

“Members are reluctant to even show up to the parliament,” a lawmaker told The Gazette Thursday morning. “Some of them, especially those from Borno, received messages from their governors that they should not support the emergency rule in Rivers.”

The DEFENDER reports that the Senate President, God’swill Akpabio, has denied that senators under his watch collected $15,000 each to give their approvals in form of voice vote to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State they were requested to consider.

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The House of Representatives, which was equally joined in the same reported scandals situation, also denied the dollar for emergency rule endorsement that federal lawmakers of both the green and red chambers allegedly received.

It would be recalled an exclusive media report published by People’s Gazette online newspaper published on Thursday March 20 under the headline “Nigerian lawmakers accept $25,000 bribe as Tinubu’s allies scramble to stem mass abstention, secure crucial quorum for Rivers proclamation”.

The report, referencing some of the lawmakers, said the offers poured in around 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday March 19 as it became increasingly difficult for the president’s aides and legislative allies to whip the needed votes.

It was said that lawmakers at the National Assembly came into a payola windfall overnight as administration officials raced to stave off a humiliating defeat of President Bola Tinubu’s emergency proclamation in Rivers, Peoples Gazette reportedly learnt.

Eleven lawmakers, comprising seven senators and four representatives, the media report added, confirmed separately to The Gazette that they were offered up to $25,000 to support Mr Tinubu’s invocation of Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution to dismantle democratic institutions in Rivers, including firing elected Governor Simi Fubara and all state legislators, and impose government by military ordinance statewide.

“Members are reluctant to even show up to the parliament,” a lawmaker told The Gazette Thursday morning. “Some of them, especially those from Borno, received messages from their governors that they should not support the emergency rule in Rivers.”

At an executive session of the House plenary on Thursday morning, only 113 members out of 360 were present, falling short of a simple quorum of 120 members, the report revealed.

To stem the impending humiliation, cash bribes were immediately discussed by the president’s loyalists, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, sources told The Gazette.

After interviews with 14 members across both chambers, 11 confirmed receiving offers for bribes. Seven who confirmed receiving offers said they were paid $25,000 between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, while four received $15,000 within the same period. Two lawmakers said they heard about or received offers but rejected them.

Only Senator Seriake Dickson told The Gazette he received no offers, much less rejected. He is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and a major opponent of the president’s decision.

The lawmakers reportedly said they picked up the offers at different locations across the Nigerian capital, Abuja, but were insured if they came from the same source.

Fiery Kano State-born journalist Jaafar Jaafar also confirmed via his X handle on Friday that what was most disturbing of the whole saga was to note that some House of Representatives members went as low as having to mortgage their conscience for $5,000 not even the reported $25,000 to endorse the Tinubu’s Rivers emergency rule.

We didn’t take $15,000 bribe

But Senator God’swill Akpabio, in a statement issued on Friday March 21 by his spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, described the bribery allegation as an attempt to blackmail the federal lawmakers.

Akpabio, however, admitted hosting senators at his guest house but said it was for an Iftar meal, insisting that no money was shared.

“It is true that I confirmed the Iftar meeting and further asserted that the Distinguished Senate President has always hosted his colleagues of both religious faiths in every season of spiritual rebirth,” the statement reads.

“There has never existed any reason to share any money in such a solemn meeting, and no money in any currency was shared.

“I have vehemently denied this spurious rumour of sharing any money. The rumour in itself is peddled by the merchants of blackmail enterprise to add flavour to their subsisting hate and malice campaign.”

Similarly, the House of Representatives has denied allegations that each member was induced with $5,000 to ratify the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State.

Deputy spokesman of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese, while responding to the issue in an interview with journalists in Abuja Friday, described the allegation as false, malicious and emanating from “the pit of hell.”

According to Agbese, Thursday’s resolution of the House on the State of Emergency declaration in Rivers was done out of patriotism and in the interest of restoring lasting peace to River State.

He said, “The allegation that members of the House of Representatives were induced with $5,000 to pass a resolution, is unfair to the parliament – very, very unfair to the parliament. What we did on Thursday was to align ourselves with what I call the wisdom of King Solomon.

“All insinuations that any individual was given money to give to members is nothing but lies from the pit of hell. The opposition should see the good things that we are doing day and night for the country.

“At no point did members of the House engage in any financial inducement in relation to the state of emergency declaration. The decision was taken after extensive deliberations on the security and political situation in Rivers State, in line with our constitutional responsibilities to safeguard national stability. Any suggestion that lawmakers were bribed is pure fiction, designed to serve the interests of those who seek to distort facts and create unnecessary tension in the country.

“The House of Representatives remains an independent institution guided by democratic principles, the rule of law, and the collective will of the Nigerian people. Our duty is to make decisions that align with the national interest, not to succumb to baseless distractions aimed at eroding public trust. The allegations of bribery are a desperate attempt to discredit the House and must be dismissed as the political comedy that it is.

“What the President did was like what King Solomon did when the two women who were fighting over the propriety of a child came to him. These people in Rivers, are all interested in the progress and development of Rivers State. They love the state, and they are working hard for it. But one way or the other, disagreements arose among the parties which escalated, and Mr. President, in his wisdom, decided to impose a state of emergency for a period of time so as to allow the two parties to come together, in order to further deepen our democracy.”

He said the lawmakers approved the State of Emergency declaration in Rivers State out of patriotism and not for any pecuniary consideration as being alleged.

“We have seen some of the developments in River State. The government is not doing badly. But what we are saying is that we don’t want the breakdown of institutions as far as River State is concerned,” said Agbese.

He said the parliament in its wisdom made some key adjustments to the president’s emergency proclamation before ratifying it.

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