Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president, and Adams Oshiomhole, the senator from Edo North, publicly declared a truce on Thursday, putting a stop to weeks of tense relations that had developed during Senate sessions.
Oshiomhole accused Akpabio of consistently ignoring him despite his attempts to raise a Point of Order, which led to the reconciliation during plenary.
Colleagues laughed when the former governor of Edo State joked that the Senate President had neglected to defend lawmakers who are “vertically challenged,” a playful allusion to his height.
In response, Akpabio denied purposefully ignoring Oshiomhole, stating that he had been listening to Senator Onawo Ogoshi of Nasarawa South, another legislator, who had been speaking on a previous issue.
Using the occasion, the Senate President publicly apologised to Oshiomhole and stated that he had no intention of disparaging him.
“Agreement is agreement,” Akpabio said, using a well-known expression linked to Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike. This statement caused laughter throughout the chamber.
The two senior politicians’ relationship had become strained due to a variety of divisive issues, but the exchange essentially put a stop to recent difficulties between them.
Oshiomhole recently attacked the Senate Public Accounts Committee’s invitation to former NNPCL Group CEO Mele Kyari and rejected suggested changes to the Senate Standing Rules regarding eligibility for the Senate President position.
More recently, he vehemently opposed Professor Abayomi Fasina’s nomination as a non-career ambassador due to claims of sexual misconduct.
In one of their earlier conversations, Akpabio made fun of Oshiomhole by bringing up a widely shared video that showed the former labour leader travelling on a private plane with a female companion.
Obasanjo warns of an impending debt crisis and that Nigeria spends like a “drunk sailor.”
However, the two MPs’ public reunion on Thursday marked a return to friendly relations, and senators applauded and laughed at the development.
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