Former Akwa Ibom State Governor, now Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday, affirmed that the All Progressive Congress used the issue of the kidnapped Chibok girls to win the 2015 general elections.

Akpabio stated this during the deliberation of a motion moved by Senator Dino Melaye. The motion was entitled: “The Abduction of Chibok School Girls- Two years after.”

The senator humorously noted that the APC and some of its members had cashed in on the girls’ abduction but have suddenly gone quiet since winning the election.

Speaking on the motion, Akpabio stated that: “I wonder why those who led protests against the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the girls have suddenly kept mum.”

“I remember in 2014, Dino Melaye used to wear a T-shirt and he led the protest to ensure that the abducted school girls were released. He was always at the National Fountain to lead a protest against the government.”

“He eventually cashed in on it and won elections. Other people in APC did the same thing.”

In introducing the motion, Melaye decried the fact that the girls were yet to be found two years after they were kidnapped, saying that the government has not succeeded unless the girls were found and rescued.

“We cannot succeed as a government until those girls are released. Getting back the over 200 Chibok school girls into the society is important and a must for our security agencies.”

“The abduction of over 200 girls by Boko Haram has wrongly affected us as a people as could be seen in the international condemnation of the government’s slow reaction to this unprecedented outrage committed against Nigerian womanhood.”

“Never before has such criminal viciousness been perpetrated on Nigerian womanhood.”

While commending the BringBackOurGirls group for their commitment towards raising awareness for the 219 missing girls, members of the senate, in adopting the motion, called on the Presidency to ensure the rescue of the girls.

The upper chamber also summoned the National Security Adviser to appear before them at an unspecified date.

Mazi Emeka