US threat: Senate President, Deputy differ over reply to Trump

By Haruna Salami

As the United States of America threatened military action against terrorists in Nigeria over alleged Christian genocide, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio said, “who am I to answer Trump”.
Akpabio, stated this while debunking social media reports that quoted him as haven already commented that Nigeria can resolve her problem without foreign interference.
However, when Akpabio said “who am I to answer Trump”, that did not go down with the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin who said “I’m not scared of Trump”.
The Kano North senator said “I will say my mind. I’m a Nigerian. Nigeria is a sovereign nation. I’m a parliamentarian. I’m the deputy senate president, I can speak. I’m not scared of Trump. Don’t be scared of Trump. You can say your mind about Trump. We are a sovereign nation”.
The drama continued when Akpabio retorted “don’t allow people to ascribe what you did not say to you”.
Barau: “You didn’t say it, that’s correct. You didn’t say it. You shouldn’t be scared of saying it”.
Akpabio: “Somebody will sit in the comfort of his room and produce a report, and produce fake pictures of 2023 when the Senate President with senators visited Port Harcourt on a very different thing and say, oh, Senate President answers President Trump, who am I to answer President Trump?
“And the Senate President said that Nigerians are not complaining, that we like the way we are living. That Nigerians are not complaining.
“I’ve petitioned the police. I’ve also petitioned the DSS.
“This time, the Senate President of Nigeria did not answer President Trump. and that the quotation is meant to cause diplomatic row. It is the presidency that will answer President Trump. And all Nigerians are doing their best in that direction. But who is that person that will go and ascribe a comment to the Senate President when he was never met?
He said he believes the Cybercrimes unit of the police, the DSS and others, should find that character out, because it is meant to cause friction. “It is meant to cause friction and put the Nigerian Senate in disrepute.
According to Akpabio, the Senate has not discussed the comment of President Trump in chambers yet, assuring they will surely do and “it is only then that the Senate President can make a comment. Not somebody sitting in this building to talk nonsense”.