A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Timi Frank, has issued a stern warning to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, against the potential for provoking a Kenyan-style uprising through his recent comments on a proposed presidential aircraft.
In a statement released on Monday, Frank criticized Akpabio’s recent endorsement of the Senate’s anticipatory approval for President Bola Tinubu’s request to purchase a new presidential aircraft worth billions of Naira. This approval came despite the ongoing economic challenges faced by many Nigerians.
Frank highlighted that one of the key responsibilities of the parliament is to provide checks and balances on the executive branch of government. He argued that Akpabio’s actions and statements are undermining this role. “His effrontery and audacity in turning legislative procedures upside down notwithstanding, his verbiage at times rudely assaults our democracy, denigrates Nigerians as a public official in a position of trust and a mockery of the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly,” Frank said.
Frank accused Akpabio of failing to fulfill his constitutional duties and instead acting as a mere “cheerleader” for the executive branch. “Akpabio can choose to be President Bola Tinubu’s cheerleader, praise singer and errand boy but he must not reduce the National Assembly to an organ extending anticipatory approvals for requests yet to be made by the executive and justifying the same,” Frank stated.
Frank also pointed out that the age of an aircraft does not necessarily affect its safety or airworthiness, as regular maintenance and inspections ensure operational safety. He questioned why Akpabio had not investigated the allocation of approximately N214 billion for the maintenance of the Presidential Fleet from 1999 to the present. “So the question is, what happened to the about N214 billion allocated in annual budgets for maintenance of the Presidential Fleet from 1999 till date?” Frank asked.
He suggested that instead of hastily approving new expenditures, Akpabio should have used his position to investigate past expenditures or propose the sale of older aircraft to fund new purchases. “Why couldn’t Akpabio launch an investigation into how the N214 billion was spent or recommend that some of the aircraft or helicopters be sold to augment the cost of buying new ones instead of waiting for a hefty proposal from the executive for express approval?” he said.
Frank concluded by cautioning Akpabio to be aware of the potential for public unrest, referencing recent events in Senegal and Kenya. “Above all, he must be mindful of the uprising in Senegal that led to the election of 44 years youthful opposition, Bassirou Diomaye Faye and the ongoing one in Kenya where the youths invaded the parliament to stop lawmakers from considering an anti-people Finance Bill and the attendant killings of scores by security forces which has sparked a call for President William Ruto’s resignation despite his hasty withdrawal of the Bill,” Frank warned.
