Presidential Jet Request: No Blackmail Can Stop Us From Doing The Necessary – Senate

The Senate on Thursday said it would not shy away from its responsibilities should the need arise to consider a request to purchase new presidential jets for President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking during plenary on Thursday, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said the insinuation in some sections of the public amounted to “anticipatory blackmail,” which he said did no good for either the National Assembly or the country as a whole.

According to Akpabio, some individuals possessed information of which the Senate was unaware and were intent on provoking the legislature to gauge its response to the claim

He noted that upon first hearing of the claim that the Senate was about to approve a plane for Tinubu, he had clarified that no such request was before parliament.

READ: Rowdy Session As National Assembly Approves Tinubu’s Request To Extend 2023 Budget

Akpabio further informed his colleagues that his response had been twisted to imply that he said the Senate would never approve any request from President Tinubu.

The Senate President interpreted the twists and turns of events as an attempt to set up the legislature for what he termed anticipatory blackmail.

He added, “We will approve things that are in the interest of Nigerians. We are here to serve Nigerians. However, if the President’s vehicles are in poor condition, we will approve funds for their repair; if there are issues with the Presidential plane, we will approve funds for its maintenance.”

Akpabio recalled the recent air crashes involving the late Malawian Vice President Saulos Chilima and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi due to “faulty” planes.

He mentioned that while no one wished such misfortune upon a Nigerian leader, the Senate would not shy away from its responsibilities should the need arise to consider a request for a new plane for Tinubu.

However, Akpabio emphasized that as of Thursday, when he last addressed the issue, there was no request for a new plane before the Senate, hence the insinuations that lawmakers were considering it were unnecessary.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele also condemned such insinuations, labeling them as the work of “fifth columnists.”

“Just to clarify, there are fifth columnists trying to destabilize this country. There is currently no request before this Senate for the purchase of planes. Therefore, there is no basis for the insinuations that we are discussing it,” he stated.

He noted, however, that if the President were to submit a request to parliament, it would not be a decision for Akpabio alone but a collective decision involving the 360 members of the House of Representatives and 109 senators.

“But, as of now, there are no such requests before the Senate,” Bamidele further explained.