Despite moves by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan to settle the cold war between Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe and his counterpart representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday insisted that Senator Abaribe must apologise to the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello.
The APC in a statement signed by its acting Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekeen Nabena, said the Senate Minority Leader should own up to the fact that he once insulted the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello on the floor of the Senate.
The APC said Senator Abaribe’s remarks which cast aspersion on the person of Kogi state governor was already in public domain.
He said: “It is on record that Abaribe made grievous and false verbal attacks discrediting Governor Yahaya Bello. He personally admitted to this on the floor of the Senate. How the PDP have conveniently edited this fact from the sequence of events is unbecoming, but characteristic of the party’s modus operandi. Indeed, if there is any apology to be tendered, it should be by Senator Abaribe who must retract every statement in the video currently trending, disparaging the achievement and the person of Governor Bello. Senator Abaribe’s utterances were not only false, irresponsible and malicious but most importantly, totally unprovoked. And on this note, we insist that he must publicly withdraw the false statements made by him, or be prepared to face the full brunt of the law.
“Let us at this point say unequivocally that Distinguished Senator Smart Adeyemi is a high ranking senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a formidable track record and antecedents to show for it. Prior to coming to the Senate, he was a renowned journalist who served as the president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists for two terms. The distinguished senator is popularly known for his interest in the protection of the masses and would not support a governor who is not performing well.
“Therefore, Senator Abaribe’s utterances were not just an aspersion on himself, but other senators representing Kogi State at the red chambers.
“On this note, the “strong warning” issued by the PDP should immediately be directed at Senator Abaribe who should have considered his Governor and constituents before making false and unbridled statements about a performing Governor of another State, worst still, refusing vehemently to retract and apologise.”
