Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Nigerian Senate has given a marching order to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to probe reports which claimed the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is dead.
Recall that Godswill Akpabio became the President of the Nigerian Senate on 13 June 2023. He was elected to lead the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after the general elections, succeeding Ahmad Lawan
The resolution was made during plenary on Tuesday, following a point of order raised by Senator Titus Zam, who quoted fake reports circulated on social media platforms that the President of the Senate suffered a health emergency and was rushed to a hospital in London.
He said that such fake news is unacceptable and those behind the misinformation should be fished out and made to face the law to serve as a deterrent to others.
In his response, the President of the Senate, who presided at plenary, said it was becoming increasingly difficult to regulate what the media publishes, particularly as it relates to politicians, describing content on some platforms as “garbage in, garbage out”.
It was reported that the media team of the Senate President had earlier denied reports circulating online that Akpabio collapsed and was flown to London for urgent medical attention
Speaking on Monday, Kenny Okolugbo, a Consultant on Communications and Strategy to the Senate President, described the report as “fake news.”
Recall that several reports had claimed that Akpabio was receiving treatment abroad and had been absent from official duties, notably the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) session held last Wednesday.
Akpabio was not seen during the key legislative engagement on Nigeria’s fiscal strategy, where Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi stood in on his behalf.