Sen Adeyemi calls Gov Ikpeazu a drunkard

Senator Smart Adeyemi who represents the people of Kogi West in the upper legislative chamber, tore into Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State during plenary on February 23, 2021, labelling the number one citizen of Abia a drunk.

Adeyemi was responding to comments made by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP, Abia South).

Abaribe had called Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, 45, an incompetent leader who hasn't done justice to the youth tag he bears.

Bello is Nigeria's youngest governor.

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State (Guardian) Pulse Nigeria

"Mr. President, people have been running around and saying we need youth. The man in Kogi is a youth. Why is it that this youth does not know what he's doing? And there is so much insecurity in this particular place," Abaribe said.

"That does not give credence to people who say hand over this country to youth. If we hand it over to him, what will now happen? We will now have a broken country and a country that is thrown to the dogs. You can now see that it is not youths. It is the ideas that you have that decide how you act," Abaribe added.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of Abia South (Pulse) ece-auto-gen

In defending his governor, Adeyemi said: "In some states of Nigeria today, where you have highly intelligent people, highly educated people, highly enterprising people like Abia, they are governed by drunkards.

Senator Smart Adeyemi of Kogi West (Guardian) Senator Smart Adeyemi Pulse Nigeria

"The governor of Abia is a Champagne-drinking man. He has not worked for his people. Roads are not constructed in Abia.

"Abia people are impoverished more than ever before. Abia people are unfortunate to have their governor.

"Abia is governed by a man who is a drunkard.

"We are proud of our governor and he's doing well. Our state is safe and we are proud to say we are from Kogi State," Adeyemi added.

Abia govt reacts

Reacting to Adeyemi's comments, the Abia state government referred to the senator as a "fool...and a village idiot."

“Sadly, it appears that the hallowed platform provided by the national assembly is now a village square for confirmed village idiots to open their mouths, thereby doing great disservice to the great men and women, past and present, that have been elected to serve as senators," the statement from Abia State government, signed by Commissioner for Information, John Okiyi Kalu, reads.

Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu (The Cable) Pulse Nigeria

“For the records, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu does not drink alcoholic beverages of any kind and I make bold to invite ‘Undistinguished’ Smart Adeyemi to appear at a place of his choosing with the governor for test for alcohol in the blood system. He should also not forget to bring along his own state governor for the test.

“We know that only confirmed drunks will see and call even saints drunkards and we want to give Adeyemi the opportunity to prove that past allegations of drunkenness induced misbehavior against him are false.

“We do not need any apology from Adeyemi who only confirmed the saying that “every time a fool opens his mouth he advertises his absence of intelligence”, yet, we must advice the leadership of the senate to evolve ways to prevent legislative misfits from using the protection offered by its hallowed chambers to abuse men who are by far better than them in all ramifications," the statement adds.