Fresh details have emerged over the controversy surrounding the recent visit of Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to the Senate Chamber, with National Assembly sources alleging that the fallout from the incident is behind moves to delay the resumption of the Senate until the end of September.
Sources familiar with developments within the National Assembly told this newspaper that the controversy has generated serious concerns among some senators, particularly lawmakers from the South West and the North, who are said to be embarrassed by the circumstances surrounding the visit and the handling of the matter by the leadership of the Senate.
According to the sources, Mrs Akpabio’s visit to the chamber while the Senate was on recess has become a subject of intense discussion following claims that some of the persons who accompanied her were spiritualists, including individuals described by the sources as marabouts and babalawos.
The Office of the Senate President has publicly denied the allegation, maintaining that those who accompanied Mrs Akpabio were electrical engineers, ICT and audio-visual technicians and building maintenance specialists who visited the chamber to inspect malfunctioning facilities.
However, one National Assembly source who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that there was more to the controversy than the explanation offered publicly.
“The real reason they do not want senators back immediately is because of what happened inside the chamber. There is serious concern about the CCTV recordings. There are attempts to ensure that the relevant footage of that visit is no longer available before senators fully return,” the source alleged.
The source further claimed that the Senate leadership was hiding under the guise of maintenance work at the National Assembly to justify keeping lawmakers away until the end of September.
“They are hiding under maintenance as the reason for postponing the resumption. What exactly are they maintaining? Nothing is wrong with the National Assembly. There is nothing requiring the kind of maintenance that should prevent senators from resuming their constitutional duties,” the source claimed.
According to the source, the explanation has raised further suspicion among some lawmakers who believe the additional period before resumption could provide an opportunity for those with access to the Senate Chamber’s surveillance infrastructure to interfere with recordings connected with Mrs Akpabio’s visit.
“The maintenance story does not convince us. If maintenance is truly the issue, Nigerians should be told what is being maintained, who the contractors are, when the work commenced and why it requires the Senate to remain away until the end of September,” another source said.
The sources claimed that the CCTV system covering sensitive sections of the Senate wing could provide an independent account of who entered the chamber, how long they stayed and what transpired during the controversial visit.
Another source said some senators were embarrassed by the development and were demanding answers about how persons without legislative responsibilities could have been granted access to one of the most sensitive sections of the National Assembly.
“This matter has caused embarrassment among senators. Some senators from the North and South West are particularly unhappy. Their concern is not simply that the Senate President’s wife visited the National Assembly. The questions are: who went into the chamber with her, who authorised their access and what exactly were they doing there?” the source said.
The source further alleged that activities surrounding the CCTV system had heightened suspicion among some lawmakers who believe the recordings should immediately be secured and preserved by an independent security authority.
“If there is nothing to hide, preserve the CCTV footage. Nobody should touch it. Let the relevant security agencies secure the recordings and establish exactly who entered the chamber and what happened there,” the source added.
The sources consequently called on the Department of State Services and other security agencies responsible for protecting the National Assembly to immediately secure all CCTV recordings connected with the visit and prevent their alteration, deletion or destruction.
They also called for an immediate review of security personnel deployed to sensitive sections of the National Assembly, alleging that the circumstances surrounding the visit raised serious questions about whether established access protocols were followed.
“Security agencies should change their personnel at the National Assembly where necessary. Anyone found to have compromised the security of the institution or facilitated unauthorised access should be investigated and appropriately sanctioned. The National Assembly is not a private residence,” one of the sources said.
The controversy erupted after reports emerged that Mrs Akpabio had visited the Senate Chamber on a Saturday while lawmakers were on recess.
The Senate President’s camp has strongly rejected suggestions of wrongdoing. His Special Adviser on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Dr Jibril Lawal Tafida, said the visit was undertaken at the instance of the Senate President following complaints about malfunctioning equipment and facilities in the chamber.
Tafida also maintained that relevant officials were aware of the visit and that no security protocol was breached.
But the National Assembly sources insist that an independent investigation, including the immediate preservation and examination of the chamber’s CCTV recordings, remains the most credible way of resolving the competing accounts surrounding the controversial visit.
“The CCTV should speak for itself,” one of the sources said. “Nigerians deserve to know who entered their Senate Chamber, what happened there and why the footage should not be independently preserved.”
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