Akpabio Sparks Outrage Over Joke on 2006 ADC Plane Crash That Killed Sultan of Sokoto

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Senate President Godswill Akpabio is facing widespread backlash after cracking a joke that appeared to reference the 2006 ADC Airlines plane crash which claimed 96 lives, including that of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Maccido.

The crash, one of Nigeria’s deadliest aviation disasters, occurred on October 29, 2006, when ADC Airlines Flight 053 went down shortly after takeoff from Abuja. The Sultan and several others were en route to an education summit organised by the Federal Government.

While mocking opposition parties during plenary, Akpabio reportedly said, “The PDP is on the ground, their umbrella is turned. The Labour Party is scattered… ADC airline, ADC crashed—sorry, ADC crashed even before it took off,” drawing laughter from the chamber.

His remarks immediately drew condemnation from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), which accused the Senate President of trivialising a national tragedy.

ADC spokesman Bola Abdullahi, in a statement shared on X, described Akpabio’s words as “heartless and unbecoming of a national leader.”

“On October 29, 2006, ADC Airlines Flight 053 crashed in Abuja, killing 96 people, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Maccido, who was travelling to attend an education summit,” Abdullahi wrote. “Now, it is this same national tragedy that the Senate President has turned into a joke. Who are these people?”

The 2006 ADC crash remains etched in Nigeria’s memory as one of the darkest moments in its aviation history, and Akpabio’s remarks have rekindled painful emotions for families of the victims.