Senate President Godswill Akpabio has come under criticism after he made a joke allegedly referencing the 2006 ADC Airlines plane crash that killed 96 people, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Maccido.

The tragedy occurred on October 29, 2006, when ADC Airlines Flight 053 crashed in Abuja shortly after takeoff. The Sultan and other victims were travelling to attend an education summit organised by the Federal Government.

The opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) expressed outrage in a swift reaction after Akpabio joked about the crash during plenary.

While mocking opposition parties, Akpabio said:

“I am in total sympathy with what’s going on. 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,” he said, laughing.

In response, ADC spokesman Bola Abdullahi, who shared his reaction on X, accused the Senate President of turning a national tragedy into a joke.

“On October 29, 2006, ADC Airlines Flight 053 crashed in Abuja, killing 96 people, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Maccido, who had come to the capital to attend an education summit organised by the Federal Government.

Now, it is this same national tragedy that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has turned into a joke and material for mockery. Who are these people?” Abdullahi wrote.

The 2006 ADC crash remains one of the darkest moments in Nigeria’s aviation history.