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From Fred Itua, Abuja
A leading pro-southern organisation, on Friday warned against purported campaign of calumny against the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
Leaders of the organisation, named, Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPDN), in a statement, said there was an ongoing campaign aimed at tarnishing Akpabio’s image.
CNPDN in 2022, led the campaign for Goodluck Jonathan’s return as president of Nigeria. When Jonathan didn’t heed the call, leaders of the organisation championed President Tinubu’s campaign in the South-South and South East.
Secretary of the organisation, Francis Okereke Wainwei, who signed the statement on behalf of others, said the group had observed the campaign of calumny against Akpabio, aimed at tarnishing his hard earned integrity.
“We are therefore calling on those behind these unnecessary attacks on the person of Sen. Akpabio to desist forthwith from their unpatriotic and nefarious activities.
“The said campaign is orchestrated by both persons in the 10th Senate and persons outside the Senate with the aim of portraying him as incompetent and insensitive to the plight of the masses.
“We know that the people behind these unwarranted attacks on the Senate President don’t mean well for the stability and prosperity of the country and therefore, members of the public should scrutinise their fabricated reports against him before reacting.
“We have recently witnessed a plethora of negative and fabricated media reports against Sen. Akpabio following his harmless and light-hearted comments about the statutory N2 million running cost of the office of each Senator as provided for in the 2023 budget.
“According to the clarification made by the management of the National Assembly, the allocation for running costs is not a new development but has been the standard practice of the National Assembly.
“Therefore, the calls that were made for the resignation of Sen. Akpabio as Senate President were misplaced, mischievous and totally baseless. The said calls were not driven by patriotic motives or outcomes of sincere and thorough investigations,” the group stated.
