By Abbanobi -Eku Onyekachi, Abuja
A fake news report has been circulating on social media, alleging an altercation and physical fight between Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Leader of the Senate, and Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate.
However, the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs Office of the Senate Leader has debunked this report, stating that it is entirely false and misleading.¹
According to the statement, Senator Bamidele has never been involved in physical assault throughout his over two-decade political career. This includes his time as President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
The statement also noted that the fake news report is meant to cause disaffection within the Senate and heat up the political system. However, this claim has been disproven by the fact that the Senate Leader, President of the Senate, and other principal officers of the Senate received the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. YU Dunhai, and his delegation shortly after leaving the plenary on Wednesday.
Photographs of the Chinese envoys with the leadership of the Senate were widely published in major national newspapers, further contradicting the fake news report. Additionally, it is verifiable that the Senate Leader and the Senate President drove out of the National Assembly premises in the same vehicle the following day.
The Senate Leader has warned attention seekers to be careful and not take his gentlemanliness for granted. Henceforth, he will be forced to use the instrumentality of the law to protect himself and his office as enshrined in the CyberCrime Act 2015. The public is urged to disregard this misinformation and treat it with the disrespect it entirely deserves.
