Akpabio, Bamidele’s exchange not sign of division – Senate
The Senate has debunked reports suggesting a clash between the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, during a recent executive session.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, who clarified a statement issued on Sunday, described the claims as baseless and misleading.
A report surfaced, alleging a heated exchange between Akpabio and Bamidele during an executive session of the Senate held on Tuesday, July 23, 2025.
The report claimed that both leaders clashed over alleged internal wrangling within the Senate, with suggestions of growing discontent among senators about Akpabio’s leadership style and decision-making approach.
The executive session, usually held behind closed doors, was said to have featured sharp disagreements, prompting speculation about possible divisions in the Senate leadership.
Denying the claims, Adaramodu said no altercation occurred, adding that what took place was a routine internal discussion, which was being wrongly framed as a power tussle.
He stated that the Senate remained united and fully supportive of its leadership, stressing that robust debates during executive sessions were not unusual and should not be mistaken for conflict.
Adaramodu insisted that the reports misrepresented standard legislative processes as signs of internal discord.
The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to diverse media reports claiming that the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, clashed during an executive session recently convened to deliberate whether the Senate should proceed on annual recess.
“The reports do not contain any iota of truth. In entirety, they misconstrue time-tested practices and traditions in the parliament worldwide where members, regardless of their political leanings, leverage the instruments of parliamentary debates, questions or interpellations to discuss every initiative decisively and eclectically before approval or authorisation.”
According to the Senate spokesperson, vigorous debate remained a hallmark of parliamentary democracy and did not indicate disunity among members.
“The Senate, as our country’s highest law-making institution, is not different in any way. Like other parliaments, every bill, motion and proposal is always subjected to intense scrutiny in our Chamber almost daily.
“This entails robust debates to which members discuss and dissect every initiative before the Senate purely in the interest of over 230 million Nigerians,” he said.
Adaramodu stressed that the deliberations, whether in plenary or committee sessions, should not be mistaken for personal altercations or signs of division within the Senate leadership.
“Whether in the chamber or committee room, debates on policy issues should not be misconstrued as altercations among members, nor do they suggest any crack in the rank of the leadership,” he concluded.
