Senate President Godswill Akpabio has criticised those commenting on the affairs of the upper legislative chamber, likening their arguments to football fans debating Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking in Abuja on Friday while receiving a delegation of youth leaders from the Niger Delta region, Akpabio expressed concerns over what he described as “uninformed public commentary” on senate matters.
His remarks followed the controversy surrounding the suspension of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Kogi central lawmaker.
Akpabio said that the senate’s decision was in line with its standing rules and internal disciplinary processes.
“You should try to go and know the facts before you start running commentaries on television,” Akpabio said.
“If you have not studied the Bible or have nothing to do with Christianity, you cannot claim to know the Bible more than the Pope. In the same vein, if you are not an Imam, you cannot begin to quote the Quran.
“But you see people who are not well-informed sitting down, just like they do as football commentators, saying, ‘Ronaldo should have come from the left to score’, or ‘If you were Messi, you would have kicked from the centre’. Then, they do commentaries on television.
“But when it comes to matters of the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly, you cannot begin to quote what you have never seen.
“When people are not well informed about the procedures yet begin to debate provisions they don’t understand, sometimes it worries me.
“So we advise members of the public to desist from running commentaries on things that they do not know, misquoting the rules of the senate.”
He said the senate has its own mechanism for resolving issues, adding that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s matter has already been settled in line with the rules.
Jonathan Lokpobiri, president of the Ijaw Youth Council, who led the delegation, had earlier expressed concerns about developments in the Senate but assured Akpabio of the Niger Delta region’s support.
