ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Media aide to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Kenny Okolugbo, has slammed PDP chieftain Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse over what he described as “irresponsible and misleading statements” made during a recent television interview.
Pearse had sparked controversy during an appearance on ARISE Television on October 4, where he criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alleging that he had corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dating back to his tenure as Akwa Ibom State governor.
During the interview, Pearse also questioned the credibility of the National Assembly under Akpabio’s leadership, claiming it had become a “rubber-stamp” institution and “was not safe for female senators.”
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However, appearing on ARISE Television on Saturday, Okolugbo dismissed Pearse’s remarks, describing his allegations that the Senate President had EFCC cases and that female senators were unsafe under his leadership as “completely unfounded and reckless.”
“I think Adetokunbo Pearse was quite irresponsible with his submission that the interview did not dwell on Senator Godswill Akpabio. He referred to him as a criminal, referred to him as having been someone who is having cases with the EFCC and that more women in the senate with Godswill Akpabio, they are not safe,” Okolugbo said.
He explained that following Pearse’s interview, he contacted the EFCC, which confirmed there was “no current or previous investigation” against Akpabio. Okolugbo criticised Pearse for speaking “as if he were a staff member of the EFCC.”
He further refuted Pearse’s claim that Akpabio did not contest for the Senate, stressing that the matter had been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court.
According to Okolugbo, Akpabio won the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial rerun primary held on June 10, 2022, with 478 votes.
“This case got to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court declared that the APC was right in conducting the rerun and that Godswill Akpabio actually emerged as a candidate for the APC. So when you now have a man who says he has a PhD come and sit down for a matter that has gone to the Supreme Court and to say that he did not run for the senate, I also think that was quite irresponsible,” he said.
The Senate President’s aide also dismissed insinuations that women in the 10th National Assembly were being marginalised or unsafe under Akpabio’s leadership.
Okolugbo revealed that Akpabio’s legal team had issued a formal letter to Pearse, demanding a retraction and public apology within three days.
“He has been written a letter by Godswill Akpabio’s lawyers. We have given him three days to retract those statements and issue a public apology on ARISE TV, Channels TV, AIT, Niger Info, and also publish it in The Guardian, ThisDay, and Vanguard.
And if he doesn’t do that in three days, I am sure we will use him as a guinea pig so that people will stop using Akpabio as a punch bag,” Okolugbo stated.