The leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has slammed the Senate President over his comment on the October 29, 2006, airline crash that led to the death of 96 passengers.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC in a post on X condemned Akpabio’s remarks likening the airline’s crash to what he perceives to have happened to the coalition party.
In a 12-second video shared by Abdullahi, Akpabio was captured “jokingly” expressing sympathy over the state of the opposition parties in the country.
The Senate President said in the video, “I am in total sympathy with what is going on, the PDP is on the ground, the umbrella is torn; the Labour Party is scattered; Accord Party is no more; ADC, crashed.
“Sorry, ADC even crashed even before it took off,” Akpabio said.
Recall that the ADC Airlines Flight 053 (ADK053) was a scheduled passenger flight operated by ADC Airlines.
On October 29, 2006, the flight scheduled for Sokoto from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital crashed into a corn field shortly after take-off, killing 96 out of the 105 passengers on board the flight.
Some of the prominent Nigerians killed in the Ill-fated crash include the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Maccido; his son, Senator Badamasi Maccido; the then Deputy Governor of Sokoto, Garba Muhammed; the first ever female West African Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon, Dr Nnennia Mgbor and Abdulrahman Shehu Shagari, the son of former president Shehu Shagari.
Reacting to Akpabio’s effort to make jest out of the incident, Abdullahi said it is unfortunate that such a national tragedy has become a material for mockery.
Abdullahi’s words, “On October 29, 2006, ADC Airlines Flight 053 crashed in Abuja, killing 96 people, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Maccido, who had come to the capital to attend an education summit organised by the Federal Government.
“Now, it is this same national tragedy that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has turned into a joke and material for mockery.
“Who are these people?” the ADC queried.
