The cracks in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caucus in the Senate, has widened further, over plots of the leadership of the Senate to remove its Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio.
Already, some members of the caucus are calling for the resignation of Akpabio, over ties with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu.
The aggrieved Lawmakers, who are about three in number, one of whom is currently in a running battle with the EFCC, is reaching out to PDP Senators, to pass a vote of no confidence on Akpabio.
Trouble started for Akpabio last week, when he attended the 65th birthday celebration of Tinubu, despite the rift between the APC leadership and Saraki.
Akpabio, apart from attending the birthday bash, also placed over four advertorials in key National newspapers, where he congratulated Tinubu and described him as a leader.
Recall, that key Senate leaders boycotted the birthday celebration, neither did they place advertorials in any newspaper to congratulate Tinubu.
Within the same period, a prominent member of the PDP caucus, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, had a media war with the EFCC. While the brief media spat lasted, Akpabio did not intervene.
Nwaoboshi, it was learnt, reached out to Akpabio to issue a release on behalf of the Senate caucus, condemning his ‘harassment’ by the EFCC. It was gathered that Akpabio refused to act.
On Monday, Nwaoboshi, reportedly met with the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, to prevail on Akpabio to convene a meeting of PDP Lawmakers.
Nwaoboshi was accompanied to the brief meeting with Ekweremadu by two of Saraki’s loyalists, Senators Samuel Anyanwu and Matthew Urhoghide, both PDP members.
After failing to secure the needed number of votes to compel Akpabio to step aside, the trio, Nwaoboshi, Anyanwu, and Urhoghide, boycotted Tuesday’s meeting of the PDP caucus, held at the private residence of Akpabio.
At the meeting, Lawmakers were sharply divided on whether or not Akpabio should be booted out. One by one, Lawmakers accused him of not speaking up in their defence.
He was also accused of romancing with key APC leaders, especially Tinubu. Akpabio, supported by Ekweremadu, was able to douse the tension. Immediate-past Senate President, David Mark, who was present at the meeting, also intervened.
The crack in the party prompted the appointment of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, as Spokesman of the caucus. It was done to enable the caucus speak with one voice, instead of the current practice where Akpabio calls the shot.