The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has retracted a statement alleging that state governors received N30bn each from the Federal Government as hardship allowances.
Akpabio had made the claim last Tuesday during a plenary session, citing an “u~nverified report” as his source. He was commenting on the alleged N30trn Ways and Means advances from the Central Bank of Nigeria to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The claim sparked outrage among the governors, who denied receiving such a huge amount from the Federal Government. The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, and the Akwa Ibom State government issued statements to refute Akpabio’s allegation.
The Federal Government had earlier said that it released N2bn to governors out of the N5bn loan it promised them as a palliative to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy in September last year.
On Monday night, February 26, Akpabio apologised in a statement titled, “N30bn to state governors from the unverified report: I hold governors in high esteem.”
He said he regretted the “unfortunate conjectures” that arose from his comment and explained that he was only trying to urge the state governments to collaborate with the Federal government of President Bola Tinubu to address the food situation of the citizens.
He invited the governors “to join hands with the Federal government to implement the Renewed Hope Agenda,” assuring them of his commitment to team building. Appealing to the governors, Akpabio said “I am not oblivious to the fact that state governments are functional partners and valuable stakeholders in the current administration of President Tinubu.”
