Fresh details on the impeachment plot against President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has emerged.
Politics Nigeria reported the plot by some unnamed senators against Akpabio alleging lopsided distribution of ‘Grade A Committees’ mainly in favour of his supporters and to the discrimination of those who opposed him during the leadership contest.
However, fresh details have shown that the disaffection on committee appointments was only diversionary.
While it was gathered that the allegation may have some substance, it has however, emerged that some rivals of the Senate President may have regrouped using as a reason, his apparent failure to check the lopsided appointments by the President in favour of the Yoruba, especially in the financial sector.
Among the senators, who are alleged to have regrouped with a mission of standing up to Senator Akpabio are some former governors drawn from the north and at least one from the south-south.
The group has now formally come out by presenting Adamawa North APC senator, Elisha Abbo, as the face of the group.
Senator Abbo, in newspaper interviews at the weekend, accused Akpabio of “marginalising his rivals” in the leadership contest and their supporters in the distribution of the committee positions.
However, sources within the Abbo group have now revealed that the angst of the group was far more and go beyond the Senate President.
“The main issue is our fear that Akpabio cannot check this Yorubanisation of the financial system that is going on now,” a source within the group revealed at the weekend.
The source who spoke on the basis of confidentiality alluded to the appointments at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Federal Inland Revenue Service, Customs, among others that have recently been infused with “Yoruba leadership”.
The control of the agencies is besides the appointment of “Yoruba ministers” in the financial sector and the blue economy.
“Yes, the reason why you can see that Northerners are mostly involved is that most of those being removed and replaced with Yoruba are northerners,” the source further revealed.
It was further gathered that the aim of the senators is to enthrone a senate president the group believes can checkmate President Tinubu.
Besides the appointments, the group is also said to be working on behalf of some interest groups in the economy who believe that they were shortchanged after reaching agreements with the president and Akpabio on the payment of subsidy to the petrol importers.
It was gathered that an arrangement had been reached with the presidency that funds generated from the removal of fuel subsidy would be used to settle petrol importers within the first two months of the removal of subsidy.
The fund amounting to N2 trillion has reportedly been used pushed to palliatives intervention.
Another interest group said to have infiltrated the ranks of the dissident senators were some electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) who were said to have also reached an agreement with the presidency and Akpabio for an upward review of 40 percent of tariff. That agreement was, however, discountenanced on the Senate floor by Akpabio.
Just like those being pushed out in the appointments in the financial sector, Northern business interest groups, are believed to be more affected by President Tinubu’s decision to end payment of petrol subsidy in the country.
