The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called on the Senate and the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to establish if senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims against the Senate president, Senator God’s will Akpabio is true or not.
The group made the call in a statement on Thursday. According to the statement signed by the Afenifere’s National Organising Secretary, Otunba Kole Omololu, it said the truth about the matter needs to be unravelled so as to set the records straight.
It said for fairness and justice, the truth should be unravelled so as to redeem the image of Nigeria in the global community where various media and global parliament have taken interest in the matter.
Recall that senator Natasha had accused the Senate president of sexual harassment. Consequently, the Senate had sent her on a six months suspension for violating senate rules.
However, after the expiration of her six months suspension, senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has returned to the Senate to continue her legislative duties.
Recall also that Afenifere had, months back, urged that the truth of the matter be unravelled.
Therefore, with the return of the senator, the pan-Yoruba group hss said that the AGF, the Senate and the security agencies in the country need to look into the matter deeply to unravel the rela truth.
According to the group, “We, at Afenifere, received the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s resolve to end a six-month suspension it placed on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over a proven breach of its Rules of Procedure with mixed feelings. For us, restoring her does not mean we should put all her claims behind us without subjecting them to judicial interpretation.”
It said while it welcomed the decision by the Senate to end the suspension, it will not, however, sir and watch anybody ridicule the hollowed chambers on the alter of any accusation that is not proven.
“We welcome this decision because it perfectly aligns with a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja. This attests to the Senate’s and its leadership’s adherence to upholding the rule of law, which remains the bastion of our democracy. We thus commend the Senate President, His Excellency Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Senate leadership for taking a decision that further reinforces the country’s rule of law.
“Also, we are deeply concerned about Natasha’s allegations against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio. It is an issue of national interest that should not be reduced to the politics of divergent interests. For over six months, where are the facts and evidence of her grave allegations? We are equally concerned about her conduct at home and on the global stage, which has grave implications for the image of our fatherland.
“For these reasons, the security agencies – the Nigeria Police, Department of State Service (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) – have the onus to look deeper into all claims Natasha made both locally and internationally to unearth the truth.
“First, is her sexual harassment claim true? We understand this matter is already being considered by the Court. It is a trite law that he who alleges bears the burden of making out a prima facie case in support of his averments. We, thus, urge the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to prosecute this case with due diligence and purely in the interest of justice.
“Secondly, we note that Natasha had previously been proven to have made false sexual harassment allegations against former Presidential spokesman Reno Omokri, for which Mr. Omokri was paid damages as an out-of-court settlement. Does this not suggest that, without proof, her allegations against Akpabio are suspicious?
“Thirdly, we note her attack on Senate President Akpabio, calling him a dictator, and ask Nigerians to take note of that and ask themselves what more autocratic behaviour can there be than of a woman who makes such weighty allegations of sexual harassment, as Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has made against the Senate President, yet refuses to produce even a scintilla of evidence more than six months after the said allegation, yet expects the Nigerian public, judiciary and the Senate to bend to her will?
Fourthly, Natasha, justly or unjustly, has taken her claims to global media organisations – BBC, CNN, Sky News and even Deutsche Welle – at the height of her travail. Each of these platforms has portrayed Nigeria and the Senate negatively before the whole world. Restoring Natasha without unearthing the veracity of her claims will simply confirm all allegations she has made against Nigeria and the Senate on the global stage. We must get to the roots of these claims and draw a conclusion of our inquiry into the allegations and conduct of Natasha locally and internationally.
Fifth, who facilitated Natasha’s participation in a session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in New York? Participation in such a high-level meeting is always by nomination. If Natasha truly participated in the IPU meeting without due nomination, then it simply revealed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s compromise or manipulation of our public institutions for pecuniary ends. It also means that we are dealing with a breach of protocols that both DSS and NIA must resolve in the national interest.
Finally, we note that suspension, including permanent banishment from Parliament, is not without precedent. Of particular mention is the case of Keith Vaz, a British Member of Parliament and Minister in the Tony Blair Cabinet, who was suspended for six months by the British Parliament for making false accusations, and then subsequently banned for life from the premises of the British Parliament.
“As an organisation that believes in fairness and justice, we call on security agencies to resolve all these questions to unearth the truth and prevent the recurrence of actions that undermine our collective interest.”
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