Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for thorough investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by the senator for Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Natasha had accused Akpabio of sexual harassment days after she had an altercation with the senate president over sitting arrangements in the upper chamber.
In a statement on Sunday by ACF spokesperson, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the forum expressed concern over the allegations, saying the issue has negative implications for the “national and international public image” of the senate.
It stated, “Even Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband has been forced to publicly comment on the matter and all such public interventions have the potential to bring into disrepute a body empowered to make laws for Nigeria.
“As things now stand, in the eyes of the general public the allegations in question portend definite negative implications for the national and international public image of the Red Chamber of Nigeria’s National Assembly.
“While the imbroglio lasts, the interests of the people of Kogi Central are not being adequately represented in the 10th Senate.
“While, perhaps, far-fetched, ACF rues the development and hopes that it is not part of the thinly-veiled anti-Arewa agenda now pervading the Nigerian political process.”
The forum said it did appear only senators from the north had been subjected to heavy sanctions, such as suspensions, in the 10th Senate.
“In the event, ACF wonders if the unfolding events constitute a pattern or are cruel coincidences at work. Putting it mildly, the public image of the leadership of the 10th Senate is now less than inspiring,” Muhammad-Baba stated.
The forum called for, “An independent, open, transparent and thorough investigation, devoid of fear, favour or interference of any kind, from any quarters be conducted.”
ACF said this “will be necessary to allow the senate to return, as it should, to the serious and solemn duty of law-making for Nigeria, at a period when citizens are being overwhelmed by dire existential living conditions on account of the impact of public policies on lives and livelihoods.”
Allegations Against Senate President False, Baseless, Senate Deputy Chief Whip Insists
Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, declared as false and baseless the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Akpabio by Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Nwebonyi also faulted former Senate President Bukola Saraki’s call on the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to probe Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations against Akpabio.
The interventions came even as the senate panel investigating the matter, chaired by the Edo South senator, Neda Imasuen, had yet to start work.
Saraki had in a statement on Saturday asked Akpabio to protect the integrity of the senate by subjecting himself to investigation by the panel, just as he (Saraki) did in the eighth Assembly, when he was accused of importing an official vehicle.
Nwebonyi, in a statement on Sunday, titled, “The Difference is Clear: Protecting the Senate from Political Manipulation, Not Rewarding Falsehood,” insisted that Saraki’s appeal was misplaced.
He stated, “Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki’s appeal for transparency and institutional protection is noted, but his attempt to draw a parallel between his own past case and the current false allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio is fundamentally flawed. The two situations are worlds apart in context, substance, and motivation.”
The deputy chief whip stated that in Saraki’s case, the matter revolved around his official duties as Senate President, an accusation specifically concerning the importation of an official vehicle.
“The claim was factually incorrect, and Saraki, knowing this, subjected himself to scrutiny to clear his name,” he said.
But former National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said, “The current Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been toying with the ‘Banana Peels’ in his almost two years in office.
“Now, he has, through the current allegations of sexual harassment, fully introduced the ‘Banana Sleaze’ into the lexicon of the senate and the consequences are always inevitable.”
Writing on X, he Ologbondiyan stated, “The horrid stories churning out of the senate are, to say the least, disgusting. It is, therefore, time for the men of valour, who are in the senate, to rise and rescue the institution from a wholesale debasement.
“When Nigeria was a more civil and a more democratic clime, with the senate as it ought to be, Akpabio would, at the next plenary sitting (presumably on Tuesday), rise to tell his colleagues that he would step aside to clear his image, which, intrinsically, is the image of the senate.
“But if Akpabio failed to rise in defence of the senate on Tuesday, it will be the duty of the law-making body, as an institution, in her own honour, to save the senate from this messy allegation of ‘Sexual Harassment’ by asking Akpabio to step aside.
“That is the only way to sanitise the senate and restore public confidence in the National Assembly.”
Editor-in-Chief/CEO of The Source Magazine), Comfort Obi, in an article, titled, “Senator Akpabio: I Can No Longer Hold It,” wrote, “Here’s what I think Akpabio should do. He should take this current allegation seriously. He should encourage, and submit to a transparent investigation.
“He should head to the court to prove his innocence. Akpoti-Uduaghan says she is ready. She has called Akpabio out. She said she has evidences and witnesses, including her husband, and WhatsApp messages.
“She has even offered the security operatives her phone to thoroughly check-out for confirmation. For her sake, I hope she is ready, and her evidences provable. Else, the sh*t will hit the fan. There will be no hiding place for her.
“The stage is set, Mr Senate President. Go ahead. Seize the opportunity and clear your name, and reaffirm your credibility, especially, for your office and your wife, and your impeachable character to lead the senate, the National Assembly.
“That is when you will be proud to be called Nigeria’s number three citizen, irrespective of the talk about how you earned the ticket. The allegations stink to high heavens. And need to not only be managed, or deodorised, but to be completely washed away, cleaned, and forgotten as a bad dream.”
A civil rights activist and lawyer, Madubuachi Idam, equally called for a commission of inquiry to be setup to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Akpabio.
Idam said Akpabio should step aside for the commission to carry out its duty, adding that nobody should should use court orders to frustrate the inquiry.
In a statement, Idam wondered how Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband could retain his composure and respect for somebody who wanted to sleep with his wife. He said, “I read Senator Natasha husband’s interview on the internet this morning with rapt attention and total admiration of aura with which the traditional ruler addressed the matter.
“I was struck to find that a point can be made even in the heat of anger without being disrespectful. How do you retain your composure and tacit respect to an alleged horny senate president who, to your foreknowledge, craves to satisfy his sexual urge in-between the legs of your wife?
