Abuja, September 5, 2026 – The Office of the Senate President has strongly rejected reports alleging that Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, gained “unholy access” to the Senate Chamber in the company of marabouts and spiritualists.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Dr. Jibril Lawal Tafida, Special Adviser to the President of the Senate on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organizations, described the claims as pure misinformation and an attempt to manufacture controversy where none exists.
A separate statement attributed to Naziru Ibrahim Wambai offered a similar defence of the visit.
According to the official response, Mrs. Akpabio made a brief visit to the National Assembly Complex on a Saturday specifically to inspect malfunctioning equipment and facilities inside the Senate Chamber.
The inspection was carried out at the direct instance of the Senate President, who had received repeated complaints from senators and staff about the poor condition of some facilities and the substandard execution of contractual renovation works.
Tafida explained that the individuals who accompanied Mrs. Akpabio were not spiritualists or persons of questionable character.
They were professionally engaged technical specialists — including electrical engineers, ICT and audio-visual system technicians, and building maintenance experts — whose expertise was required to properly assess the reported faults.
The statement emphasised that the visit was conducted with the knowledge and authorisation of relevant National Assembly officials and did not breach any security protocols.
The choice of a Saturday, when the chamber was not in session, was deliberate so that the inspection would not disrupt legislative business. The visit lasted approximately 50 minutes, a duration considered appropriate for a thorough check of multiple facilities and equipment.
“The reports are a product of misinformation, speculative journalism, and a deliberate attempt to create a scandal where none exists,” the statement said. It described the visit as “purely administrative and domestic in nature” and an act of personal concern by a supportive wife seeking to provide an accurate report to her husband.
The office further noted that the Senate President remains focused on delivering good governance and that his family would not be distracted by unfounded attacks.
It urged the public to disregard the allegations and reaffirmed confidence in the National Assembly as one of the most secure and well-managed democratic institutions in Africa.
The controversy had arisen after reports circulated that Mrs. Akpabio’s weekend presence in the chamber, accompanied by certain individuals, raised questions about the motive and propriety of the access.
The official clarification seeks to put those claims to rest by framing the episode as a routine administrative oversight exercise prompted by legitimate complaints about the state of the chamber’s facilities.
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