The Senate has described as misplaced, a comment credited to
a chieftain of the Labour Party, Professor Pat Utomi, over the decision of the
Senate to stop the planned increase of electricity tariffs which would further
increase the suffering of the masses.
A statement issued by the Senate spokesperson, Yemi
Adaramodu, on Sunday in Abuja said, “The Senate is alarmed at the insidious
misinterpretation enunciated by some political surrealists, who always leave
the causes of their troubles to look for unnecessary scapegoats.”
The Red Chamber had on Tuesday, July 25, passed a motion by
Senator Akintunde Abiodun to halt the planned electricity tariff hike.
After the prayers were passed, Senator Cyril Fasuyi (APC, Ekiti North) moved an additional prayer saying, “Let The People Breathe”
However, a few seconds clip of Akpabio laughing while
passing the prayers ‘Let the poor breathe” had gone viral which a number of
Tweeps had interpreted as the Senate President mocking the poor.
One of those who passed comment about the Senate was Utomi
who noted that he was traumatised that the lawmakers were mocking the poor.
Utomi said, “I am traumatised by this mocking of the poor by
our Senate. In a decent society, we should have had resignations by now.
“To mock the poor is to mock God. I know where Godswill
Akpabio was before Obong Victor Attah gave a hand. Better an honest poor than a
rich thief politician.”
Responding to the social media comment, Adaramodu noted that
“Insinuating that the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Godswill
Akpabio, was mocking the Nigerian masses with the phrase ‘LET THE POOR BREATHE,
is dressing falsehood and mischief in an undesirable garment.
“The personal tirades and character assaults hauled at the
Senate President by Professor Pat Utomi, are misdirected and uncalled for.
“The Senate is an
assembly of Distinguished men and women, who are sent by the Nigerian public to
the Hallowed Chamber to represent their interests. The public-interest motion
to halt an increase in the electricity tariff for Nigerians is one of such instances
that tests the Senatorial responsiveness of Distinguished members of the 10th
Senate.”
He added, “With the fire of the fuel subsidy removal still
smouldering, the Senate opined that any increase in electricity tariff would be
suffocating and that whoever is desirous of doing so should allow the poor; all
Nigerians to breathe.
“The Senate President compassionately hit the gavel with a
stoic warning that any such attempts would be obnoxious, ludicrous and could
only seize oxygen from the reach of the masses.”
The Senate spokesperson added, “Despite this open display of
patriotism and sensitivity, some political irredentists and turncoats feel they
could turn the omnipotent actuality on its head to gain their lost momentum.
“The Senate didn’t and would not mock the masses, without
who, there would be no Nigerian Senate. Digging into extreme partisanship to
impugn on the image of the Senate and particularly the personality of the
Senate President, is quite unfortunate and an exhibition of political superficialism,
irreverent and opprobrious outburst.”
Adaramodu further added, “We believe that whoever is in the
court to pursue a self-awarded electoral victory should not labour to assume
that running expletives on the Senate and its leadership is the needed elixir
to infuse legal blood into the dry veins of their case.
“The 10th Senate, under the leadership of Senate President
Godswill Akpabio, has passed many life support resolutions in its short span,
including the misinterpreted Senate’s No to Increase in Electricity Tariff.”
“We thus advise political rolling stones and pretenders not
to play politics with the lives of Nigerians and allow the National Assembly to
join hands with other arms of government to pull out Nigeria from economic
morass and make life more abundant for us all.”
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