•Godswill Akpabio and Usoro Akpabio
The Senate has debunked viral claims that the newly appointed Managing Director of the South-South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, is the first daughter of the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, made the clarification in an interview with our correspondent yesterday.
President Bola Tinubu had nominated Mrs Akpabio as the Commission’s MD and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche from Rivers State, as its Chairman, reports The PUNCH.
The nominations were contained in a letter from the President, which was read during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by Senator Akpabio.
In the same letter, Tinubu sought Senate confirmation for 16 other nominees to serve as board members of the commission, whose headquarters will be located in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Shortly after the letter was made public, speculation spread that Mrs Akpabio is the Senate President’s first daughter.
However, Adaramodu dismissed the rumour as baseless.
“There is no iota of truth in that report,” he said.
“It’s just like hearing someone named Adaramodu in Osun or Ondo and assuming he’s my brother. Things don’t work that way.”
According to him, despite sharing a surname and state of origin, there is no familial relationship between the two Akpabios.
“The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is entirely different from Usoro Akpabio, the MD of the South-South Development Commission. Culturally, people may have similar names, but that doesn’t mean they are related,” he explained.
“This appointment was based on merit and was made by the president. She is not in any way connected to the former governor of Akwa Ibom.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean a qualified member of the Senate President’s family couldn’t be appointed. But in this particular case, there is no relationship whatsoever,” Adaramodu stated.
