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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has reportedly been hospitalised in London, United Kingdom, after collapsing earlier this month, according to top sources within the National Assembly.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Akpabio collapsed on the 10th of the month and was immediately flown to London in a private jet said to have been provided by billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote. Since then, the Senate President has been receiving medical treatment abroad, a development that has kept him away from key legislative duties.
His absence was noticeable during the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) interactive session held on Wednesday, a crucial engagement between the executive and the legislature on Nigeria’s economic and fiscal plans. SaharaReporters gathered that Akpabio’s condition was serious enough to require continued overseas medical care.
One source disclosed that this was not the first time the Senate President had been rushed to London for treatment, raising fresh concerns about his health and his capacity to continue leading the upper chamber of the National Assembly. According to the source, this marks the second known occasion Akpabio has sought urgent medical attention abroad.
It was further revealed that several senators have travelled to London to visit him. One of the sources quoted Akpabio as saying that “a number of senators have gone to visit me,” in reference to his hospitalisation.
Medical experts attending to the Senate President are also said to have advised him to significantly reduce his workload. A source familiar with the situation claimed that doctors have recommended that Akpabio step down from his position to focus fully on his health.
At the MTEF and FSP session, Akpabio was represented by Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, confirming that he was unable to attend the important meeting in person. Additional indications of his condition emerged from aides monitoring developments around his movements, with one source saying arrangements were being made to pick him up from the airport, suggesting uncertainty around his travel and recovery.
Akpabio’s last known public appearance was reportedly on December 9, when the Senate approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for the deployment of Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin following an attempted coup. The approval was announced by Akpabio during plenary after deliberations in the Committee of the Whole, with senators voting unanimously in support of the request.
At the time, Akpabio described the decision as critical to regional stability, warning that unrest in a neighbouring country could have wider implications for West Africa. He had stressed Nigeria’s responsibility within ECOWAS, stating that “an injury to one is an injury to all.”
As of the time of this report, there has been no official statement from the Senate Presidency confirming or denying details of Akpabio’s health status, but his continued absence has sparked growing concern within political circles.
