Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, found himself in an awkward moment during a recent plenary session at the National Assembly after making an unintentional slip of the tongue involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the late former president Muhammadu Buhari.
The incident, which quickly went viral online, was captured and posted by the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of AIT, @AIT_Online. In the video shared, Akpabio was seen commending the government for its handling of the recent state burial ceremony. However, he mistakenly referred to the living President Tinubu as the deceased.
While addressing the Senate, Akpabio said: “The whole country is very proud of what this administration has done, in the way and manner President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was honored and was buried.”
It was later clarified that Akpabio intended to speak in honor of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who sadly passed away on July 13, 2025, while receiving treatment at a medical facility in London. The mix-up sparked reactions both on the Senate floor and across various social media platforms.
The blunder has fueled speculation and humor online, particularly because a similar mistake was recently made by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who also erroneously mentioned President Tinubu in the context of a funeral. The back-to-back verbal errors have left many Nigerians suspicious, puzzled, or amused.
Social media users wasted no time expressing their thoughts on the matter in the comments section of the video post.
See some reactions below:
@Beyond1016467: “Since it’s a mistake, it should be consumed as such. I may disagree with APC chiefs in many ways but certainly wish good health to all. Politics is different from life.”
@Player_retiredd: “Is there something they’re not telling us? First Hope, now Godswill. They’re all planning Tinubu’s funeral.”
@felixherbt: “Hope Uzodinma said same thing last week, today is Akpabio… may their wish be granted expressly !!!”
@esogbuna: “Hope Uzodimma made same error. Maybe Saul is also among the prophets.”
@crownsAffairs: “When sycophancy reaches its peak, the brain is conditioned to praise the president at every speech. Now, it fails to realize the eulogy wasn’t meant for him.”
@AbekheMA: “Imo State Governor Hope made this same error the other day. What’s going on?”
WATCH VIDEO:
Akpabio’s gaffe: Nigeria impressed with Tinubu’s “burial” instead of Buhari pic.twitter.com/UHUfX1pKWo
— Africa Independent Television (@AIT_Online) July 23, 2025