WATCH: Akpabio Apologizes To Oshiomhole After Controversial Video Goes Viral

A light-hearted but tense exchange unfolded in the Senate on Thursday after Senator Adams Oshiomhole accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of breaching a mutual understanding to refrain from revisiting past controversies involving each other.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The incident occurred during deliberations on a motion addressing the persistent failure of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs), to honour invitations from the Senate Committee on Finance.

The motion, sponsored by the committee’s chairman, Senator Sani Musa, highlighted concerns over the repeated absence of heads of government agencies during legislative oversight sessions.

After the debate, Oshiomhole raised a point of order, alleging that Akpabio had violated a truce they previously reached by making a veiled reference to a past controversy involving him.

The former Edo State governor was reacting to a remark by the Senate President that alluded to a viral video, which purportedly showed Oshiomhole massaging the legs of a South African woman aboard a private jet. Oshiomhole has consistently dismissed the video as manipulated and AI-generated.

Addressing his colleagues, the senator said both leaders had agreed to put their previous disagreements behind them.

“I want to inform this Senate that the Senate President and I agreed to a truce—no more hostilities. Unfortunately, the Senate President breached that agreement by referring to a previous issue,” Oshiomhole said.

Amid laughter in the chamber, he added, “I reminded the Senate President that we both signed a truce. He should not violate it, and I will not violate it either. You are my brother, my leader and my Senate President.”

Oshiomhole, however, said he would not pursue the matter further.

“I will not proceed with the point of order. I only want to appeal that vertically challenged people in this Senate should also be protected,” he joked, drawing more laughter from lawmakers.

Akpabio Offers Apology

Responding, Akpabio apologised to Oshiomhole, saying he had no intention of offending him.

“Let me first apologise to Distinguished Senator Oshiomhole if anything I said was interpreted as offensive or caused him any discomfort,” the Senate President said.

He explained that his earlier remark was made while responding to comments by Senator Ogoshi Onawo regarding an earlier debate on a proposed warrant of arrest.

“I was responding to Senator Ogoshi, who referred to the issue of the cancelled warrant of arrest, during which Senator Oshiomhole had remarked that the individual should be brought dead or alive,” Akpabio explained.

Acknowledging their agreement, he added, “We have a truce—no more hostilities. An agreement is an agreement.”

Akpabio assured the former governor that he would avoid making references to their past disagreements and pledged that the Senate leadership would continue to treat every senator fairly.

“I will not revisit those comments again. This chair will continue to protect every senator, and I hold Senator Oshiomhole in very high esteem. He is my brother, my friend and a fellow former governor,” he said.

The Senate President later sparked laughter when he jokingly promised not to emulate countries that fail to honour agreements.

“I will not behave like America and Iran—signing an agreement today and exchanging bombs two days later,” he quipped.

Senate Warns Defaulting Government Agencies

Earlier during the debate, Senator Ogoshi Onawo urged the Senate to invoke its constitutional powers against heads of agencies that repeatedly ignore invitations from legislative committees.

Citing Section 89(1)(d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Onawo noted that the National Assembly has the authority to compel attendance through warrants where individuals refuse to honour summons.

He, however, advised that defaulting agencies should first be formally notified before such measures are taken.

Also speaking, Akpabio warned that the Senate could no longer tolerate the repeated absence of government officials from oversight engagements.

“If any committee reports that the head of an agency has refused to appear, the Senate can summon that official before the full chamber. Should the individual still fail to appear, we will exercise our constitutional powers to compel attendance,” he said.

Onawo also called on the Senate to reflect on previous instances where public officials ignored invitations without consequences.

He cited the failure of officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) to appear before the Senate Committee on Sports as evidence of what he described as an increasing disregard for the authority of the National Assembly.