Akpabio's Secret Meeting With Tinubu: PDP Moves Against Godswill Akpabio

Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Godswill
Akpabio has incurred the wrath of his Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) colleagues in the Senate
over what senators of the PDP have reportedly
described as Akpabio's involvement in "anti-party activities."
According to an informed source who did not
want to be named, trouble began for Akpabio
when he was spotted two weeks ago, during a
secret visit to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a
national leader of the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC).
Akpabio, the source disclosed to SIGNAL on
Wednesday, had paid a secret visit to Tinubu at
his Bourdillon Lagos residence but was sighted by
some individuals who instantly alerted the Deputy
Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
Ekweremadu, by virtue of his position is currently
the highest-ranking PDP member within the
Nigerian government. Worried by the report of
Akpabio's visit to Tinubu, Ekweremadu
immediately confronted Akpabio. According to
the source, Akpabio dismissed the matter
casually, saying he visited Tinubu over some
"personal issues." Akpabio's attitude was said to
have infuriated Ekweremadu and the matter
quickly escalated to the entire PDP caucus in the
Senate.
"The whole thing did not go down well with
Ekweremadu and the PDP caucus in the Senate
who were concerned that their Leader in the
Senate who should be actively engaged with
providing leadership and a voice for the PDP
opposition is busy hobnobbing, not just with the
ruling party but one of its most influential
chieftains who played a key role in providing the
funding, structure and media propaganda that
kicked the PDP out of power in 2015 after 16
years. To make matters worse, Akpabio did not
show any sign of remorse in the way he has gone
about the issue. PDP senators are angry with him
and are now making moves already for his
removal", the source said.
Further checks by SIGNAL revealed that the
timing of Akpabio's visit to Tinubu further
worsened matters for the former Governor of
Akwa-Ibom State. Recall that just last week, the
PDP caucus in the Senate declared that it was
withdrawing support from the government of
President Muhammadu Buhari over the
increasing persecution of leading PDP opposition
members nationwide under the guise of fighting
corruption. According to reports available to this
newspaper, PDP senators are concerned that
Akpabio of all people is the one visiting Tinubu at a time the PDP senators had just declared war on Buhari's government.