Senate President Godswill Akpabio says he has supported Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca for 25 years and would not disparage the religion.
Speaking during plenary on Thursday, Akpabio said he had consistently sent people to the holy city to pray for him and Nigeria, insisting that his remarks during legislative proceedings had been taken out of context and misinterpreted for political purposes.
He was responding to criticism that trailed his comments on Tuesday during consideration of the Suicide Prevention Bill 2026.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who represents Cross River South Senatorial District, seeks to address issues relating to suicide prevention.
During the debate, Akpabio said some young people contemplate suicide because “they believe seven virgins await them in the afterlife.”
The remark attracted criticism from some commentators, who accused him of making disparaging comments about Muslims and their religious beliefs.
However, responding to the controversy, Akpabio maintained that his comments should be understood within the context of the Senate’s deliberations, arguing that disagreements among lawmakers were part of the legislative process and should not be portrayed as attacks on particular religious groups.
“I love the Muslim religion. I send people to Mecca to pray for me and to pray for this country, and I do that even up to yesterday, and I have been doing that since the last 25 years,” he said.
He expressed concern over what he described as the misrepresentation of discussions held on the Senate floor, particularly when such comments were subsequently discussed on television programmes.
“So I don’t know why people go and sit down on television and they try to misinterpret what we say here because politics is coming,” he said.
Akpabio said lawmakers were expected to disagree on issues during debates while working towards legislation that would serve the country’s interests.
“I don’t like the idea of people sitting down on television and trying to misinterpret what we discuss here in the senate,” he said.
“We want to make the best laws, so we are bound to oppose each other, and we are also bound to support each other.”
The Senate president also cited his personal relationships with Muslims and his record of supporting religious pilgrimages as evidence that he had no intention of denigrating Islam.
He said that during his tenure as governor, he sponsored thousands of Muslims to the holy land, alongside Christians who travelled to Rome and Jerusalem.
According to him, he sponsored 5,800 Muslims to the holy land and more than 10,000 Christians to Rome and Jerusalem.
Akpabio further disclosed that many of his staff members were Muslims, stressing that his relationship with them was based on mutual respect rather than religious differences.
“My ADC for 19 years is a Muslim. I don’t recognize him as a Muslim. I recognize him as a brother; he’s from Azare in Bauchi state, the same thing with my CSO,” he said.
He added that Muslims constituted a significant proportion of the people working with him.
“There’s no way I will talk down on Muslim religion, so people who go out there to talk should study the personalities involved,” he said.
Akpabio also cautioned against associating terrorism with any particular religion, arguing that those who engage in suicide bombings should not use religious beliefs to justify violence against themselves or others.
“Terrorists are not Muslims. Terrorists are not Christians. Terrorists are human beings who believe in taking their lives and the lives of others,” he said.
He maintained that Islam, as he understood it, prohibited suicide and the killing of others, rejecting the suggestion that the religion encouraged people to take their own lives in anticipation of a heavenly reward.
“The Muslim religion that I know forbids suicide; it forbids killing,” he said.
The Senate president also referred to the Criminal Code and Penal Code, which he said contain provisions relating to suicide, urging lawmakers to approach the issue with an understanding of the distinction between people experiencing mental health challenges and those who deliberately take their lives.
He said the debate should be considered in the broader context of efforts to enact laws that would address suicide and related concerns, rather than being reduced to controversy over isolated remarks.
Akpabio urged Nigerians to consider the outcome of legislative proceedings when assessing debates in the chamber, noting that lawmakers could express differing opinions before reaching a final decision.
“No matter the discussion, please take the final decision of the senate into consideration,” he said.
He also urged Nigerians to focus on substantive issues in political discourse rather than attempts to damage the reputations of public officials through what he described as the misinterpretation of their statements.
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