Drama in Senate: Akpabio and Barau Differ Publicly Over Trump’s Threat

A mild drama unfolded on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday as Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his Deputy, Senator Jibrin Barau, publicly differed over the issue of American President Donald Trump’s threat of military action against terrorists in Nigeria regarding alleged Christian genocide.

Dependable NG reports that the divergence of opinion came to the fore as Akpabio was attempting to debunk a quote attributed to him by a social media platform, RANT HQ, which falsely alleged he had rebuffed Trump’s classification of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC).” The platform had quoted the Senate President as saying: “The killing is taking place in Nigeria not in the USA, Trump should focus on US. Nigerians are not complaining about the killings, we are fully satisfied with the condition of Nigeria.”

Akpabio passionately denounced the quote, describing the post as “malicious and completely fabricated,” and stated, “Who am I to answer Trump.” He clarified that he could only convey the collective resolution of the Senate on the matter and that it is the Presidency’s role to formally address President Trump.

However, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau immediately interjected, taking a much more defiant stance. “I’m not scared of Trump. I will say my mind. I’m a Nigerian. Nigeria is a sovereign nation. I’m a parliamentarian,” Barau asserted. He went further, encouraging his principal, “I’m the Deputy Senate President, I can speak. I’m not scared of Trump. Don’t be scared of Trump. You can say your mind about Trump. We are a sovereign nation.”

The disagreement concluded swiftly when Akpabio directed the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, to delete Barau’s position from the day’s proceedings, firmly stating that it did not represent the views of the upper legislative chamber. Akpabio confirmed that he has already petitioned the police and the DSS over the fabricated quote, stressing that social media should not be allowed to cause friction or put the Senate in disrepute. He concluded that the Senate would issue a response only after the direction of the Executive arm of government is known.