Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has declared that opposition voices in the National Assembly are on the brink of extinction, claiming that only “four or five” senators are left outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with even those reportedly preparing to defect.
Akpabio made the remarks while addressing the National Caucus meeting of the APC, where he openly celebrated what he described as the steady collapse of opposition strength in the Senate and the growing dominance of the ruling party across Nigeria’s political landscape.
“When we came in, the opposition had almost 50 members, but today, when I counted, there were about five or four left in the opposition,” Akpabio said.
“Even those five members have whispered to me that I should carry them to the President and the leader of the party that they are prepared to join the APC.”
Akpabio expressed support for the APC National Working Committee led by Abdullahi Ganduje and praised the party’s governance structure, including the leadership role of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma within the party.
He said the Senate was impressed by the APC’s steady expansion of political influence, noting that the party had attracted major political figures without confrontation or instability, while the opposition continued to shrink.
However, Akpabio said he was unwilling to preside over a Senate without opposition voices.
He disclosed that he deliberately allowed some senators who had defected to the APC at the state level to remain within the minority caucus at the National Assembly in order to preserve legislative balance.
He added that this decision prevented the minority benches from becoming empty and specifically acknowledged Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah for allowing Senator Osita Ngwu to continue serving as Minority Chief Whip.
“I do not want to run a Senate without any opposition,” he said. “So because of that, I have intentionally -I’m reporting to the caucus – allowed the APC members who have declared in their states but are yet to declare in the Senate to continue in the minority caucus. Otherwise, that place would have been empty.”
Akpabio also struck a somber tone while addressing Nigeria’s worsening security situation, describing the violence across the country as “very serious, organised, and orchestrated insecurity.”
“We are very sad that people have decided to torment Nigeria,” he said, adding that the APC aligned itself with states mourning lives lost to “terrorists, bandits, and insurgents.”
He praised President Tinubu for the recent release of over 100 abducted children, while urging that efforts be intensified to free those still in captivity.
He also paid tribute to fallen members of the Armed Forces, saying they died while protecting lives and property.
On legislation, Akpabio disclosed that the Senate had taken “bold decisions” to deter criminality, including reclassifying kidnapping as terrorism.
“Kidnappers will now face the death sentence once the President assents to the new bill into law,” he said, urging governors to implement the law decisively.
He warned that failure to enforce capital punishment would only embolden criminals to escape and “come back to kill more people in society.”
The Senate President also highlighted APC’s expanding grip on state power, noting that the party now controls 28 states.
“In other words, APC governors are controlling 28 states out of 36 states in Nigeria, with an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly,” he said. “This is national consensus. This is national acceptance.”
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