Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied reports claiming that Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) was embarrassed during a recent plenary session of the National Assembly.
In a personally signed statement issued in Abuja on Friday, titled “Clarification on Misleading Reports Regarding Senate Proceedings,” Akpabio described the viral online reports — particularly one published by Linda Ikeji’s Blog — as false and misleading.
“My attention has been drawn to reports circulating on social media and blogs alleging that Senator Sani Musa was ‘rubbished’ on the Senate floor for allegedly failing to define the word ‘harmonised,’” Akpabio stated.
He emphasized that the incident in question had been taken out of context and misrepresented by online platforms.
Explaining what transpired, the Senate President said that during the session, Senator Musa was about to speak when Senator Abdul Ningi raised a point of order, which required immediate procedural attention in line with the Senate’s rules.
“The session continued without any breach of decorum. Senator Musa was neither embarrassed nor unable to respond,” Akpabio clarified.
He went on to commend Senator Musa’s leadership as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Finance and the Conference Committee that harmonized the Tax Reform Bills — a legislative achievement that was widely recognized.
“The Nigerian Senate operates with respect, decorum, and integrity. While we encourage public engagement, we urge media platforms to prioritize accuracy over sensationalism,” Akpabio added.
He concluded by calling on journalists and bloggers to uphold the principles of responsible reporting in their coverage of Senate proceedings.
