Senate President Godswill Akpabio has returned to Nigeria, refuting social media rumours of a critical illness and hospitalisation in London.
Akpabio arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja around 4 a.m. on Monday, concluding what his media team characterised as a brief London vacation. He was greeted at the presidential wing by senators, aides, and supporters.
While speaking to journalists upon his arrival, the Senate President dismissed the claims as “the imagination of the purveyors”, insisting he was “fit as a fiddle.” He clarified that his time in London was merely a stopover for a short holiday.
Prior to his visit to the UK, the 62-year-old attended the sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 29 to 31.
At the conference, the Nigerian delegation actively championed enhanced democratic governance and improved collaboration between governmental branches.
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Akpabio, who assumed the presidency of the 10th Senate in June 2023, is a former governor of Akwa Ibom and also served as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
He assured Nigerians of “robust legislative engagements” once the Senate reconvenes from its recess. Reports of his poor health had been previously denied.
On August 11, Senator Gbenga Daniel, chairman of the Senate committee on Navy, had already contradicted claims of Akpabio’s hospitalisation.
During a meeting with Akpabio in London, Daniel noted that seeing him in person presented “a very different picture” from the news reports.
