Last Thursday, during the plenary, Mr Akpabio said the Senate, under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership, held plenaries from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to make the timing convenient for the lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Claim<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThe senate president said the official time for plenary under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership was 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWhen Distinguished Senator Mark was senate president and even the practice, he met on the ground; Senate was sitting at 2 O\u2019clock because they used the morning period to meet with the diplomatic communities, to do a lot of engagements with the civil servants and public officers and then they start their sitting by 2 O\u2019clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOfficially, they had 2 O\u2019clock to 5 p.m., and I know that many of you also would like to do the same, meet with most of the agencies, conclude, even open your public hearings before coming for sittings, but it is not for the public to know because the public only thinks that we sit here alone,\u201d Mr Akpabio said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senate president spoke when the lawmakers debated a proposal to reschedule their plenary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Checking the Claim<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo fact-check the claim by Mr Akpabio, PREMIUM TIMES utilised human and official documentary sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first is the Senate Rule which was the official document that guided the activities of the Senate under Mr Mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This newspaper also reviewed the Votes and Proceedings, which is the official record of the daily happenings at the Senate on the days that the plenary was held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This newspaper then spoke to a senator who was a lawmaker when Mr Mark was senate president, as well as journalists and civil society activists who covered the Senate during the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Findings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAccording to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: \u201cOn Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity \u2018that this Senate do now adjourn\u2019 and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image.png?resize=1024%2C683\" "\\"\\"")
Senate at plenary (PHOTO CREDIT: @NGRSenate<\/strong><\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-1.png?resize=697%2C1024\" "\\"\\"")
Table showing the dates and time that the senate held plenaries under David Mark from January to December, 2008<\/strong><\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-2.png?resize=697%2C1024\" "\\"\\"")
Table showing the dates and time that the senate held plenaries under David Mark from January to December, 2009<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-3.png?resize=719%2C1024\" "\\"\\"")
Table showing the dates and time that the senate held plenaries under David Mark in 2010<\/strong>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nEnyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper\u2019s observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is not correct,\u201d the aide told PREMIUM TIMES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,\u201d Mr Aborisade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,\u201d Mr Pius said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/FALSE-4.png?resize=132%2C55\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Repeated misinformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMr Akpabio\u2019s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed<\/a><\/strong> that state governors received<\/a><\/strong> N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe governors criticised<\/a><\/strong> him, and he subsequently apologised <\/a><\/strong>for the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConsequences of Akpabio\u2019s gaffes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria\u2019s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country\u2019s National Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said citizens, researchers and diplomats would no longer trust Nigerian leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInaccurate or misleading information can lead to ill-informed decisions, which can have far-reaching and detrimental effects on the country. It can erode trust among members, stakeholders, and the public, making it challenging to build consensus and pass legislation. It can also cause confusion, leading to delays or blockages in the legislative process, hindering the assembly\u2019s ability to address critical issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf information is not accurate, it can cause misallocation of resources, leading to inefficiencies and wastage. Capping it all, the National Assembly\u2019s reputation can suffer if misleading information is grounded, undermining its credibility and legitimacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Odili also maintained that the country\u2019s democracy may be threatened if the senate president continues to spread misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAct of deceit cannot promote democracy. A situation where the senate president is misleading Nigerians with wrong information cannot foster the democracy of our dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was seriousness and promptness in the business of the Red Chamber during David Mark\u2019s Senate Presidency. There was diligence and hard work. To tell Nigerians that the Red Chamber commenced plenaries between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. under David Mark is misleading and deceptive aimed at promoting laziness at the Senate,\u201d the CD leader said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editor’s Note: This fact check first appeared on Premium Times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Senate President Godswill Akpabio misinformed Nigerians about legislative activities in the upper chamber during the Sixth and Seventh Assemblies of the Senate led by David Mark, a PREMIUM TIMES fact-check shows. Mr Mark, a retired Nigerian Army brigadier-general, served as the senate president between 2007 and 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was a five-term Benue South senator from 1999 to 2019. Last Thursday, during the plenary, Mr Akpabio said the Senate, under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership, held plenaries from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to make the timing convenient for the lawmakers. The Claim The senate president said the official time for plenary under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership was 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. \u201cWhen Distinguished Senator Mark was senate president and even the practice, he met on the ground; Senate was sitting at 2 O\u2019clock because they used the morning period to meet with the diplomatic communities, to do a lot of engagements with the civil servants and public officers and then they start their sitting by 2 O\u2019clock. \u201cOfficially, they had 2 O\u2019clock to 5 p.m., and I know that many of you also would like to do the same, meet with most of the agencies, conclude, even open your public hearings before coming for sittings, but it is not for the public to know because the public only thinks that we sit here alone,\u201d Mr Akpabio said. The senate president spoke when the lawmakers debated a proposal to reschedule their plenary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Checking the Claim To fact-check the claim by Mr Akpabio, PREMIUM TIMES utilised human and official documentary sources. The first is the Senate Rule which was the official document that guided the activities of the Senate under Mr Mark. This newspaper also reviewed the Votes and Proceedings, which is the official record of the daily happenings at the Senate on the days that the plenary was held. This newspaper then spoke to a senator who was a lawmaker when Mr Mark was senate president, as well as journalists and civil society activists who covered the Senate during the period. The Findings According to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m. Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: \u201cOn Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity \u2018that this Senate do now adjourn\u2019 and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.\u201d A review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed. Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper\u2019s observation. Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. \u201cNo, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,\u201d he said. An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure. \u201cIt is not correct,\u201d the aide told PREMIUM TIMES. \u201cFrom 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,\u201d he added. The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries. Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time. ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same. \u201cIt never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss. \u201cIt can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,\u201d Mr Aborisade said. Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days. \u201cThe time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,\u201d Mr Pius said. Verdict The claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false. This is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper. Repeated misinformation Mr Akpabio\u2019s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians. During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed that state governors received N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false. The governors criticised him, and he subsequently apologised for the action. Consequences of Akpabio\u2019s gaffes Mr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria\u2019s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country\u2019s National Assembly. He also said citizens, researchers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3812,3815,16],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4262],"class_list":["post-19423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage","category-politics"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-53h","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4262,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"abdulqudus-ogundapo","display_name":"Abdulqudus Ogundapo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/akpabio.webp?fit=1280%2C806&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19429,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions\/19429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cWhen Distinguished Senator Mark was senate president and even the practice, he met on the ground; Senate was sitting at 2 O\u2019clock because they used the morning period to meet with the diplomatic communities, to do a lot of engagements with the civil servants and public officers and then they start their sitting by 2 O\u2019clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOfficially, they had 2 O\u2019clock to 5 p.m., and I know that many of you also would like to do the same, meet with most of the agencies, conclude, even open your public hearings before coming for sittings, but it is not for the public to know because the public only thinks that we sit here alone,\u201d Mr Akpabio said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senate president spoke when the lawmakers debated a proposal to reschedule their plenary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Checking the Claim<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nTo fact-check the claim by Mr Akpabio, PREMIUM TIMES utilised human and official documentary sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first is the Senate Rule which was the official document that guided the activities of the Senate under Mr Mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This newspaper also reviewed the Votes and Proceedings, which is the official record of the daily happenings at the Senate on the days that the plenary was held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This newspaper then spoke to a senator who was a lawmaker when Mr Mark was senate president, as well as journalists and civil society activists who covered the Senate during the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Findings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAccording to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: \u201cOn Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity \u2018that this Senate do now adjourn\u2019 and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nSenate at plenary (PHOTO CREDIT: @NGRSenate<\/strong><\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nTable showing the dates and time that the senate held plenaries under David Mark from January to December, 2008<\/strong><\/em>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTable showing the dates and time that the senate held plenaries under David Mark from January to December, 2009<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nTable showing the dates and time that the senate held plenaries under David Mark in 2010<\/strong>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nEnyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper\u2019s observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is not correct,\u201d the aide told PREMIUM TIMES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,\u201d Mr Aborisade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,\u201d Mr Pius said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Repeated misinformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMr Akpabio\u2019s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed<\/a><\/strong> that state governors received<\/a><\/strong> N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe governors criticised<\/a><\/strong> him, and he subsequently apologised <\/a><\/strong>for the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConsequences of Akpabio\u2019s gaffes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria\u2019s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country\u2019s National Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said citizens, researchers and diplomats would no longer trust Nigerian leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInaccurate or misleading information can lead to ill-informed decisions, which can have far-reaching and detrimental effects on the country. It can erode trust among members, stakeholders, and the public, making it challenging to build consensus and pass legislation. It can also cause confusion, leading to delays or blockages in the legislative process, hindering the assembly\u2019s ability to address critical issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf information is not accurate, it can cause misallocation of resources, leading to inefficiencies and wastage. Capping it all, the National Assembly\u2019s reputation can suffer if misleading information is grounded, undermining its credibility and legitimacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Odili also maintained that the country\u2019s democracy may be threatened if the senate president continues to spread misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAct of deceit cannot promote democracy. A situation where the senate president is misleading Nigerians with wrong information cannot foster the democracy of our dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere was seriousness and promptness in the business of the Red Chamber during David Mark\u2019s Senate Presidency. There was diligence and hard work. To tell Nigerians that the Red Chamber commenced plenaries between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. under David Mark is misleading and deceptive aimed at promoting laziness at the Senate,\u201d the CD leader said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editor’s Note: This fact check first appeared on Premium Times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Senate President Godswill Akpabio misinformed Nigerians about legislative activities in the upper chamber during the Sixth and Seventh Assemblies of the Senate led by David Mark, a PREMIUM TIMES fact-check shows. Mr Mark, a retired Nigerian Army brigadier-general, served as the senate president between 2007 and 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was a five-term Benue South senator from 1999 to 2019. Last Thursday, during the plenary, Mr Akpabio said the Senate, under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership, held plenaries from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to make the timing convenient for the lawmakers. The Claim The senate president said the official time for plenary under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership was 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. \u201cWhen Distinguished Senator Mark was senate president and even the practice, he met on the ground; Senate was sitting at 2 O\u2019clock because they used the morning period to meet with the diplomatic communities, to do a lot of engagements with the civil servants and public officers and then they start their sitting by 2 O\u2019clock. \u201cOfficially, they had 2 O\u2019clock to 5 p.m., and I know that many of you also would like to do the same, meet with most of the agencies, conclude, even open your public hearings before coming for sittings, but it is not for the public to know because the public only thinks that we sit here alone,\u201d Mr Akpabio said. The senate president spoke when the lawmakers debated a proposal to reschedule their plenary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Checking the Claim To fact-check the claim by Mr Akpabio, PREMIUM TIMES utilised human and official documentary sources. The first is the Senate Rule which was the official document that guided the activities of the Senate under Mr Mark. This newspaper also reviewed the Votes and Proceedings, which is the official record of the daily happenings at the Senate on the days that the plenary was held. This newspaper then spoke to a senator who was a lawmaker when Mr Mark was senate president, as well as journalists and civil society activists who covered the Senate during the period. The Findings According to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m. Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: \u201cOn Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity \u2018that this Senate do now adjourn\u2019 and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.\u201d A review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed. Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper\u2019s observation. Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. \u201cNo, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,\u201d he said. An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure. \u201cIt is not correct,\u201d the aide told PREMIUM TIMES. \u201cFrom 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,\u201d he added. The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries. Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time. ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same. \u201cIt never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss. \u201cIt can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,\u201d Mr Aborisade said. Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days. \u201cThe time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,\u201d Mr Pius said. Verdict The claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false. This is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper. Repeated misinformation Mr Akpabio\u2019s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians. During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed that state governors received N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false. The governors criticised him, and he subsequently apologised for the action. Consequences of Akpabio\u2019s gaffes Mr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria\u2019s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country\u2019s National Assembly. He also said citizens, researchers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3812,3815,16],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4262],"class_list":["post-19423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage","category-politics"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-53h","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4262,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"abdulqudus-ogundapo","display_name":"Abdulqudus Ogundapo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/akpabio.webp?fit=1280%2C806&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19429,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions\/19429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
According to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: \u201cOn Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity \u2018that this Senate do now adjourn\u2019 and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper\u2019s observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is not correct,\u201d the aide told PREMIUM TIMES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,\u201d Mr Aborisade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,\u201d Mr Pius said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Akpabio\u2019s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed<\/a><\/strong> that state governors received<\/a><\/strong> N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The governors criticised<\/a><\/strong> him, and he subsequently apologised <\/a><\/strong>for the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria\u2019s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country\u2019s National Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said citizens, researchers and diplomats would no longer trust Nigerian leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInaccurate or misleading information can lead to ill-informed decisions, which can have far-reaching and detrimental effects on the country. It can erode trust among members, stakeholders, and the public, making it challenging to build consensus and pass legislation. It can also cause confusion, leading to delays or blockages in the legislative process, hindering the assembly\u2019s ability to address critical issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf information is not accurate, it can cause misallocation of resources, leading to inefficiencies and wastage. Capping it all, the National Assembly\u2019s reputation can suffer if misleading information is grounded, undermining its credibility and legitimacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Odili also maintained that the country\u2019s democracy may be threatened if the senate president continues to spread misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAct of deceit cannot promote democracy. A situation where the senate president is misleading Nigerians with wrong information cannot foster the democracy of our dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was seriousness and promptness in the business of the Red Chamber during David Mark\u2019s Senate Presidency. There was diligence and hard work. To tell Nigerians that the Red Chamber commenced plenaries between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. under David Mark is misleading and deceptive aimed at promoting laziness at the Senate,\u201d the CD leader said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor’s Note: This fact check first appeared on Premium Times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Senate President Godswill Akpabio misinformed Nigerians about legislative activities in the upper chamber during the Sixth and Seventh Assemblies of the Senate led by David Mark, a PREMIUM TIMES fact-check shows. Mr Mark, a retired Nigerian Army brigadier-general, served as the senate president between 2007 and 2015 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was a five-term Benue South senator from 1999 to 2019. Last Thursday, during the plenary, Mr Akpabio said the Senate, under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership, held plenaries from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. to make the timing convenient for the lawmakers. The Claim The senate president said the official time for plenary under Mr Mark\u2019s leadership was 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. \u201cWhen Distinguished Senator Mark was senate president and even the practice, he met on the ground; Senate was sitting at 2 O\u2019clock because they used the morning period to meet with the diplomatic communities, to do a lot of engagements with the civil servants and public officers and then they start their sitting by 2 O\u2019clock. \u201cOfficially, they had 2 O\u2019clock to 5 p.m., and I know that many of you also would like to do the same, meet with most of the agencies, conclude, even open your public hearings before coming for sittings, but it is not for the public to know because the public only thinks that we sit here alone,\u201d Mr Akpabio said. The senate president spoke when the lawmakers debated a proposal to reschedule their plenary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Checking the Claim To fact-check the claim by Mr Akpabio, PREMIUM TIMES utilised human and official documentary sources. The first is the Senate Rule which was the official document that guided the activities of the Senate under Mr Mark. This newspaper also reviewed the Votes and Proceedings, which is the official record of the daily happenings at the Senate on the days that the plenary was held. This newspaper then spoke to a senator who was a lawmaker when Mr Mark was senate president, as well as journalists and civil society activists who covered the Senate during the period. The Findings According to the Senate Standing Rule in the Sixth and Seventh Assembly, plenary started at 10 a.m. Rule 8 sub-section (2) of the Senate Standing Rule (as amended) states: \u201cOn Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Senate shall meet at 10:00 a.m. and unless previously adjourned shall sit until 2:00 p.m., unless before a substantive motion had been moved by the Leader of the Senate or a Senator acting in that capacity \u2018that this Senate do now adjourn\u2019 and if such a motion be moved and if the question thereon has not previously been determined, at 2:00 p.m. the President of the Senate shall adjourn the Senate without question being put.\u201d A review of the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate under Mr Mark from 2008 to 2010 showed that, on no occasion, did the plenary start at 2 p.m. and end at 5 p.m., as Mr Akpabio claimed. Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate spokesperson during the Seventh Assembly, confirmed this newspaper\u2019s observation. Mr Abaribe, a serving senator for Abia South, told our reporter that the official time for plenary under Mr Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. \u201cNo, the official time for plenary under David Mark was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,\u201d he said. An aide to Mr Mark, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, also confirmed that his principal never convened the upper chamber from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. throughout his tenure. \u201cIt is not correct,\u201d the aide told PREMIUM TIMES. \u201cFrom 2011 to 2015, there was not a time the plenary was altered. If there were a need to extend the time during plenary, the senate leader would raise a point of order to that effect,\u201d he added. The President of Campaign for Democracy (CD), Ifeanyi Odili, said the Senate under Mr Mark never sat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mr Odili said he regularly observed the Sixth and Seventh Senate plenaries. Also, National Assembly workers, who pleaded anonymity because they were not authorised to speak, and some journalists who covered the upper legislative chamber at the time told this newspaper that Mr Mark did not deviate from the set rules regarding the sittings at any time. ThisDay Newspaper correspondent in the Senate, Sunday Aborisade, said Mr Mark was always punctual and kept the time for plenaries the same. \u201cIt never happened. The plenary under David Mark was not from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. I was a regular observer because there were always important stories from the plenary that no medium would want to miss. \u201cIt can never be possible because he was always punctual and conscious of time. He was a very disciplined man,\u201d Mr Aborisade said. Uwoma Pius, another journalist who also covered the Senate when Mr Mark led, said the former senate president always arrived at the chamber 10 minutes before 10:00 a.m. for plenary on legislative days. \u201cThe time for plenary then was 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. His leadership was the best time and the most punctual Senate we have ever recorded,\u201d Mr Pius said. Verdict The claim by Mr Akpabio that the Senate under David Mark held plenary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. is false. This is confirmed by documentary and human sources reviewed by this newspaper. Repeated misinformation Mr Akpabio\u2019s claim is not the first time he would misinform his colleagues and Nigerians. During a plenary in February, Mr Akpabio claimed that state governors received N30 billion each from the Federation Account to tackle the high cost of food in their respective states. It turned out to be false. The governors criticised him, and he subsequently apologised for the action. Consequences of Akpabio\u2019s gaffes Mr Odili said misinformation from the senate president, who is Nigeria\u2019s third citizen, will affect the reputation and credibility of the country\u2019s National Assembly. He also said citizens, researchers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1571,3812,3815,16],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[4262],"class_list":["post-19423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fact-check","category-headline","category-homepage","category-politics"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-53h","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":4262,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"abdulqudus-ogundapo","display_name":"Abdulqudus Ogundapo","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/akpabio.webp?fit=1280%2C806&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19429,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions\/19429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nVerdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nRepeated misinformation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Consequences of Akpabio\u2019s gaffes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n