Akpabio’s daughter secured a lucrative NNPC position without merit, says Oshiomhole.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has claimed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s daughter obtained a “juicy position” at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) without following the proper recruitment procedures.

Oshiomhole made the accusation while speaking on the Mic On Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye. He defended his remarks about the Senate’s handling of NNPC matters and a bench warrant issued against former NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer Mele Kyari.

The former Edo State governor also alleged that Akpabio had a personal stake in the NNPC, asserting that Kyari facilitated the appointment of the Senate President’s daughter.

According to Oshiomhole, the evidence he had indicated that the appointment did not go through the standard recruitment process.

“Myself inclusive. The second is my response to the former chief financial controller of NNPC, whose tenure the investigation covers, who pointedly said to the committee that it is you people. And now I know that the Senate President said his daughter was taken by Mele Kyari and put in a, well as Nigerians we say, in a juicy position that he probably didn’t merit,” he said.

Oshiomhole further claimed that nepotism has become entrenched at the national oil company, with past and present officials allegedly creating employment opportunities for relatives.

“They all have employed their children, their uncles, their cousins, their in‑laws into various aspects of NNPC and put them in different positions. If they carry out the payroll of NNPC, you will find that they’ve turned the top level to a family business,” he said.

The senator maintained that there is nothing wrong with relatives of public officials working at the NNPC so long as they are qualified and recruited through proper procedures.

“You can only make an issue if you give them a job they did not merit, they are not qualified for, and you didn’t follow the right procedure. Well, somebody told me that the Senate president daughter was taken without, not through a regular interview, not through the normal, but that is his own problem,” Oshiomhole said.

He also addressed criticism of the Senate’s reported dismissal of the arrest warrant against Kyari, insisting that the legislative action was within the powers granted to the National Assembly under the Constitution.