Abuja — There was mild drama at the Senate on Tuesday as the President of the Red Chamber, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and his Deputy, Senator Jibrin Barau, disagreed over former U.S. President Donald Trump’s alleged threat of military action against terrorists in Nigeria following reports of Christian persecution.
The tension began when Akpabio addressed a viral report by social media platform RANT HQ, which claimed he dismissed Trump’s concern about killings in Nigeria, allegedly saying that “Nigerians are not complaining” and that “Trump should focus on the U.S.”
Debunking the report at the end of plenary, Akpabio described it as “malicious and completely fabricated”, stressing that he never attacked the American President.
“Who am I to answer Trump?” Akpabio said, insisting that only the Nigerian presidency could officially respond to such matters.
However, his Deputy, Senator Barau, interjected sharply.
“I’m not scared of Trump. I will say my mind. I’m a Nigerian. Nigeria is a sovereign nation,” Barau declared.
“I’m the Deputy Senate President; I can speak. Don’t be scared of Trump. You can say your mind about Trump.”
The unexpected exchange drew attention in the chamber, prompting Akpabio to order the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, to delete Barau’s comments from the day’s proceedings, arguing that they did not reflect the official position of the upper chamber.
Akpabio further expressed concern over the dangers of misinformation, warning that fake news could “cause friction and put the Nigerian Senate in disrepute.”
“Somebody will sit in the comfort of his room and fabricate a story with fake pictures and attribute false statements to me,” he said.
“I’ve petitioned the Police and the DSS to investigate and bring the culprit to book. Social media should not be used to break Nigeria.”
He concluded by noting that the Senate would take an official position on Trump’s reported comments once the executive arm of government makes its stance clear.
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