Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, former Minority Leader of the Senate, has denied claims that he staged a protest in the National Assembly demanding the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Abaribe, who represents Abia South in the Senate, was alleged to have carried a placard during a protest that supposedly led to a shutdown of legislative activities.
However, in a statement issued by his media aide, Uchenna Awom, the senator described the report as completely false and urged the public to disregard it.
He argued that the claim was fabricated to undermine ongoing political efforts to secure Kanu’s release.
The statement, titled “Discard as False, Report of Senator Abaribe Disrupting Senate Plenary for Kanu,” reads:
“The office of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has been drawn to a false and very misleading report purporting disruption of Senate Plenary by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanding the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu.”
“The report is false and was at best a concoction that defies logic.”
“It was a deliberate misinformation with a sinister motive aimed at sabotaging the ongoing effort at exploring a political solution for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
The statement further clarified that Senator Abaribe was last present at the Senate on Wednesday before traveling out of Abuja on Thursday for an oversight function in Ikwuano Umuahia, Abia State, organized by the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“In any case, the Senate does not sit on Fridays plenary sessions only hold from Tuesdays to Thursdays, making the claim of a shutdown on a Friday baseless,” the statement added.
Additionally, the statement emphasized that issues currently before the courts are not debated in the National Assembly.
“The case of Nnamdi Kanu is sub judice, and as a rule, the National Assembly does not interfere in judicial proceedings.”
“Therefore, Senator Abaribe could not have embarked on such an effort, knowing its futility.”
“He did not lead any protest or obstruct legislative proceedings.”
The senator’s office urged the public to dismiss the fabricated report and refrain from spreading unverified information.
The denial follows an earlier online report titled: “Senator Abaribe Shuts Down National Assembly, Demands Immediate Release of Nnamdi Kanu,” which has since been discredited.
