Video Shows Akpabio Teasing Oshiomhole Over Viral Clip Showing Senator Massaging a Girl
- Senate President Akpabio revisited the viral video purportedly showing Senator Oshiomhole massaging a woman's leg aboard a private jet during Thursday's plenary
- Akpabio said the Senate initially dismissed the footage because lawmakers believed it was artificially generated content
- Oshiomhole's camp had previously denied the video's authenticity, calling it a fabricated attempt to blackmail and embarrass the senator
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday, July 16, brought unexpected levity to the chamber when he referenced the viral video that appeared to show Senator Adams Oshiomhole in a private jet with a woman's legs resting across his lap, revealing that the Senate had initially written off the footage as artificial intelligence content.
Akpabio's remarks came during plenary proceedings and were captured in a video shared by AIT. Rather than addressing the matter formally, the Senate President introduced it with a wry aside, prompting laughter from lawmakers present in the chamber.
Source: Twitter
"I don't want to go outside of what we are doing… I would have asked a question when there was a picture showing one of our senators in a plane, massaging the leg of a girl," Akpabio said, drawing chuckles from colleagues.
He went on to credit Senator Simon Lalong with bringing the Senate's quiet response to light, saying Lalong had relayed word from Oshiomhole's ally on how the institution handled the footage.
"Senator Oshiomhole, your friend, your very good friend Senator Lalong came to give me security information. He said that we just ignored the message because we thought it was AI," Akpabio told the chamber.
The Senate President left the door open for a formal review, adding that any credible new submission could change matters.
"But if you have another evidence, we have a petition before us, we can look into it if it's not AI," he said.
Background to the viral footage
The clip first circulated in early February 2026 and appeared to feature a man resembling the senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, seated in what looked like a private jet while a woman rested her legs on his lap.
The footage triggered significant public backlash, with critics drawing attention to the optics of such scenes for a sitting lawmaker at a time of widespread economic difficulty in Nigeria. The controversy was also connected to earlier remarks Oshiomhole had made publicly about food prices.
In response to the backlash, Oshiomhole's media aide, Oseni Momodu, issued a denial on the senator's behalf, describing the video as a poorly crafted, AI-generated fabrication designed to blackmail and embarrass him.
The camp labelled its circulation as cyberbullying, called on the public to verify content before sharing it online, and said steps were being taken to trace those behind the clip's spread.
Oshiomhole's office did not, however, provide independent forensic analysis to back the AI claim, and some fact-checking efforts at the time found no clear evidence of digital manipulation in the footage.
Akpabio predicts 2027 winner
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had called on his colleagues to be available as the National Assembly is set for what can be said to be one of the most consequential constitutional votes in the democratic history of Nigeria.
This is as the National Assembly will be voting on the amendment of the constitution to establish state police services across the country on Wednesday, June 24.
Source: Legit.ng
