Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has denied reports claiming he threatened to shut down the National Assembly unless President Bola Tinubu secures the immediate release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

A viral statement alleged that Abaribe staged a protest at the National Assembly, wielding a placard and blocking access roads, but he dismissed this as false and deliberately crafted to sabotage efforts to secure Kanu’s release.

Abaribe, through his media aide Uchenna Awom, stated that he wasn’t even in Abuja at the time of the alleged incident. He clarified that he had left Abuja for an oversight function in Abia State on Thursday and wasn’t present at the National Assembly when the alleged protest supposedly took place.

The senator emphasized that Kanu’s case is currently before the courts, and as a rule, the National Assembly doesn’t interfere in judicial proceedings. He reiterated his support for a peaceful resolution to Kanu’s detention but insisted that the National Assembly follows due process.

According to OHAFIATV, Abaribe’s statement read, “The report is false and a deliberate attempt to misinform the public. Matters under judicial consideration (sub judice) are not debated in the Senate”. He urged Nigerians to disregard the misleading claim and refrain from spreading unverified information.

A previous viral report had alleged that the senator staged a protest, and this speculation necessitated this timely disclaimer from the office of the Senator.