The office of Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has debunked reports of an alleged physical altercation between him and Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the National Assembly.
The claims, which circulated on social media platforms like X, suggested that the two prominent lawmakers exchanged blows, leading to their absence from a recent plenary session.
However, in a strongly-worded statement from the Senate Leader’s media directorate, the allegations were dismissed as “fake news” aimed at creating disaffection within the Senate and heating up the political atmosphere.
“A Blatant Falsehood”
The statement emphasized that Senator Bamidele has a history of peaceful conduct throughout his political career, spanning over two decades.
“For the record, it is a verifiable fact that Senator Bamidele has never been involved in physical assault in over two decades of his political trajectory, not even when he was a young man leading the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) as President,” the statement read.
The office described the reports as unprofessional and accused their originators of abandoning journalistic ethics to spread baseless rumors.
“It is surprising that the purveyor of this misleading information, in his selfish agenda and unprofessional conduct, threw the ethos of journalism into the waste bin and decided to feast on roadside gists to tarnish the image of the Senate Leader,” the statement continued.
Evidence of Unity
To counter the rumors, the Senate Leader’s office highlighted several activities involving both Bamidele and Akpabio that took place on the day of the alleged incident.
“The fact that the Senate Leader, President, and other principal officers of the Senate together received the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. YU Dunhai, and his delegation a few minutes after leaving the plenary on Wednesday is a significant testimony against the imagination of those spreading the fake news,” the statement noted.
Photographs of the Senate leadership with the Chinese delegation, published in major national newspapers, were cited as further proof of their collaboration and harmony.
“It is equally verifiable that the Senate Leader and the Senate President both drove out of the National Assembly premises in the exact vehicle yesterday,” the statement added.
Fake News and Legal Warnings
The statement accused the authors of the fake news of attempting to destabilize the political system.
“We are aware that the fake news is meant to cause disaffection within the Senate and, by extension, heating the political system,” it said.
The Senate Leader’s office warned those behind the allegations to desist from exploiting Bamidele’s calm demeanor.
“This time again, the Senate Leader is warning all attention seekers to be careful and not take the Leader’s gentlemanliness for granted,” the statement read.
It also threatened to invoke the CyberCrime Act of 2015 to protect the Senate Leader’s reputation and office if necessary.
“The leader might be forced to use the instrumentality of the law to protect himself and his office as enshrined in the CyberCrime Act 2015,” it warned.
Public Reaction
The statement urged Nigerians to disregard the rumors, describing them as malicious and baseless.
“We, therefore, urge the public to disregard this misinformation and treat it with the disrespect it deserves,” it concluded.
Social Media Rumors Spark Debate
The alleged clash between Akpabio and Bamidele sparked heated debates on social media, with users expressing varied opinions. The two senators were said to have exchange blows within a section of the senate.
