President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has distanced himself from reports alleging he promised to secure senatorial tickets for lawmakers who lost in the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, the Senate President clarified that his remarks during an interaction with senators on Tuesday were misconstrued.
The Senate President’s office described the reports as misleading and inaccurate, insisting that Akpabio neither made nor authorised such a promise.
According to the statement, Akpabio merely expressed sympathy for senators adversely affected by the outcome of the primaries and informed them that the APC leadership was already working to address concerns arising from the exercise.
“What the President of the Senate actually said, in the course of interacting with his colleagues, was to empathise with senators who were affected negatively by the outcome of their primary elections.
“He assured them that the leadership of the a actively working to address all issues arising from the primaries and that the final list of candidates will be released in due course in line with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines,” the statement said.
The clarification followed widespread reports suggesting that Akpabio had assured senators who lost their tickets that their candidacies would be restored before the final submission of candidates for the 2027 general election.