Senate President Godswill Akpabio has challenged politicians who publicly oppose godfatherism but practice it in private, saying credibility in the fight against the phenomenon must be backed by personal example.
Akpabio spoke on Saturday at the launch of The Burdens of Legislators in Nigeria, a book written by former Senator Effiong Bob, at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.
The event was chaired by former Senate President, Senator David Mark.
Reacting to discussions on godfatherism during the event, Akpabio pointed to what he described as contradictions in the stance of some political actors.
“And then, of course, members of the House of Assembly also include the son of a distinguished senator. So when I heard that he was against godfatherism, I said, okay,” Akpabio said.
He added, “Since you’re against godfatherism, maybe you’ll withdraw your son from the House of Assembly as a starting point of showing that you’re against godfatherism.”
The Senate President argued that it is inconsistent to condemn godfatherism while allegedly benefiting from it.
“You cannot be saying something on the left-hand side and practising it on the right. Otherwise, that will amount to approbating and reprobating,” he stated.
Akpabio, however, acknowledged that the lawmaker in question was performing well in the legislature.
“But let the boy remain. He’s even doing his second term in the House. He’s on his second term, and he’s one of the leaders of the House of Assembly in himself,” he said.
