Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said he has sponsored Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca for 25 years and would not disrespect Islam.
Akpabio made the statement during plenary on Thursday while responding to criticism of remarks he made during a debate on the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026.
“I love the Muslim religion. I send people to Mecca to pray for me and to pray for this country, and I do that even up to yesterday, and I have been doing that since the last 25 years,” he said.
He insisted that his earlier comments during legislative proceedings had been taken out of context and misinterpreted for political purposes.
Akpabio recalled that as governor of Akwa Ibom State, he sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the holy land and more than 10,000 Christians to Rome and Jerusalem.
He also noted that his aide-de-camp of 19 years is a Muslim and that more than 65 per cent of his staff are Muslims.
“There’s no way I will talk down on the Muslim religion,” he added.
AbdulBasit Saba is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
