In Abuja on Friday, Dr Jibril Lawal Tafida, Special Adviser to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, formally denied any involvement with a widely circulated letter alleging corruption against the Senate leadership. File No. FHC/B/CS/107/2025 notwithstanding, the letter—dated November 22, 2025 and addressed to The Presidency—was not authored, endorsed or authorised by Dr Tafida, he said in a disclaimer.
According to his notice, the correspondence makes various allegations, including that Akpabio abandoned the adviser when his mother died, and accused the Senate President of corruptly trafficking contracts. Dr Tafida rejected the claims, stating the content is “as false as it is malicious” and warned the public, media outlets and digital publishers to disregard and delete it immediately.
Dr Tafida described the letter as “a deliberate attempt to weaponise my name in order to malign the leadership of the Senate and create disaffection where none exists.” He reaffirmed his loyalty to Akpabio and the Senate, emphasising their “cordial, respectful and trust-based” working relationship.
He also pointed out specific evidentiary flaws in the letter—such as the claim that Akpabio served on the National Assembly Tenders Board, when in fact the National Assembly contracts are managed by the Federal Capital Development Authority through a designated contractor. That, he argued, exposed the letter as “a sham.”
The broader context: The letter emerged amid heightened political tensions around Senate leadership and contract oversight in Nigeria’s National Assembly. While the Senate has maintained its relationship with the Executive as “frank and firm,” critics have accused the chamber of rubber-stamping major executive initiatives.
At this time, no arrests have been publicly reported in connection with the forging and distribution of the document.
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