Senator Barinada Mpigi, senator representing Rivers South-East district has threatened to sue one of his constituents, Tambari Sydney Gbara over his comment on Sen. Godswill Akpabio.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by his S.A on General Services and Director of Protocol, Kome Ngbor, the senator urged Gbara to apologise to Akpabio as well as desist from dishing out ‘inflammatory’ remarks against him.
The statement reads in part; ” The attention of the office of Senator Barinada Mpigi, PhD DSSRS, Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District and Secretary Southern Senators forum has been drawn to a statement credited to the Publicity Secretary of the Rivers State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, Tambari Sydney Gbara, wherein he declared the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Dr. Godswill Akpabioo, CON, persona non grata and an ”enemy of Rivers people”.
”Tambari Sydney Gbara, among other disrespectful comments in a press statement dated 12th March, 2024, alleged that the President of the Senate ”had consistently shown disdain, unimaginable level of disrespect and hatred for His Excellency, Sir. Siminialayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State”, including making other unprintable remarks against His Excellency, Senator Akpabio.
” The insinuation that Sen. Akpabio is an ”enemy of Rivers people” and for a civilian to issue a declaration of ”persona non grata”, on the person of the Senate president in the democratic dispensation, is a treasonable offence that should not be handled with levity.
”The Senator representing the Rivers South-East Senatorial district and Ogoni in particular where Mr. Gbara is his constituent is bewildered at the disrespectful conduct of Mr. Sydney Tambari Gbara.
”Our principal, Senator Mpigi is seriously taken aback at the level of disrespect and audacity with which Sydney Gbara described the number three (3) citizen of the federal Republic of Nigeria.
”Without doubt, the fact that there is no iota of truth in all the accusation against the president of the Nigerian senate, we’ll like to advise the Rivers PDP publicity secretary, Mr. Tambari Sydney Gbara to immediately tender an unreserved public apology to His Excellency, Senator Dr. Godswill Akpabio CON and the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within seven days or face legal action”.
