Adeyanju Challenges Senator Natasha To Present Evidence Against Akpabio

Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju has challenged Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi-Central) to present “more evidence” against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio if she has one to strengthen her allegation of sexual harassment against him.

Akpabio and Natasha have been embroiled in sexual harassment allegation which Akpabio has denied. Natasha has insisted she was subjected to sexual harassment, her refusal of which had led to denial of her privileges and suspension for six months.

She escalated the matter to the international community when she presented for help at the Inter-Parliamentary Union a few days ago the allegation. The Senate responded to her presentation at the IPU denying that her suspension was anything linked to her petition against Akpabio but her disobedience to Senate Standing Rules.

But speaking at the press conference on Friday in Abuja, argued that instead of wasting energy on what would not help the cause of the people amid the economic hardship, the Senators especially the opposition senators should scrutinize government policies which he termed as anti-people.

He frowned at Natasha’s allegation pointing out that she did not raise the issue of sexual harassment when she was removed as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content but had to make the allegation after her seat was changed.

He acknowledged that while he’s not supporting either Akpabio or Natasha, he has his biases noting that Natasha “is one of the bright lights, she has done a lot for her people.”

He expressed distaste over the way the allegation is being handled emphasising that “Akpabio should have recused himself and allow the committee to investigate, because one cannot be a judge in his own case.”

He pointed out people are not “on the streets to protest in favour of Natasha because since she got to the National Assembly, she has never gotten up to say the time you removed fuel subsidy was wrong,” to challenge the government for the suffering people.

He said “she (Natasha) did not defend Nigerian people when they removed fuel subsidy, when they removed tariff hike. People would have trooped out in her support.”

He condemned the controversy in the Senate describing it as a distraction stating that “no anti-people policy that they (opposition) opposed, even Adams Oshimhole that’s in the ruling party opposes anti-people policies than the opposition.”

Adeyanju who is a partner of Deji Adeyanju and Partnes stressed that, “This issue is very concerning to me, personally and to many Nigerians, and that the idea of what the Senate has done and the way they have done it, especially as regards to the Ethics Committee, very shameful, indeed, extremely shameful.

“But we must not get carried away by thinking that these people are fighting for us. They are not. They are fighting for themselves.

“Again, you can see that the Senate itself is behind the suspension of Natasha. The Senate supports Akpabio in suspending her and they are united. And you know why they are united in her suspension?

“The reason why they are united is because they have a common interest. You remember that they they send mails to them.

“Remember now that they say they should check your mail so there’s always something in the mail, and that is why they were unanimous in suspension of Ningi, unanimous in suspension of Ndume, and unanimous in suspension of Natasha.

“I have spoken to many of the senators, and these are opposition senators, because I can never speak to ruling party senators. Many of the opposition senators are happy that Natasha is suspended.

“The reason they gave was that she got a committee that she did not deserve, which is, the lucrative Local Content Committee. Maybe it’s out of envy or competition. It’s about political survival. That, why would she be given that committee, that local content committee, why didn’t they give it to a ranking member or a former governor?*

A “former Governor even told me who is in the Senate, that, why will you go and give that kind of committee to the lady when you know you will collect it back.

“If you knew that you were not going to leave her in the committee, why did you give her the position? That is why it looks like as if it is witch-hunting.

“The committee ought to have sat, listened to both parties. The senate president ought to have recused himself from presiding over that matter, afterall it has happened in this country before, when Saraki was accused of buying bulletproof vehicles. He recused himself and allowed his deputy president to preside over the plenary.

“For me, I believe that the matter is becoming more or less like a distraction. Well, a lot of things are happening. They have just passed the tax informed bill in the House of Reps.

“Everybody is focused on this matter. And I can assure you that it is deliberate. They are going to soon pass the tax reform bill in the Senate, and we will still be talking about Akpabio and Natasha.

“So I believe that, yes, the matter has been overflogged. I believe that parties should go to court and resolve their matters in court, and we should focus on Nigerians, to focus on tax reform bill and see how we can galvanize and see how to stop the tax reform bill from being passed.

“The question I have asked is when all this anti-people policy of the Tinubu government was taking place, why didn’t these senators who are now fighting over the allegation of sexual harassment, why didn’t they oppose the anti-people policy?

“All the time that they’ve shared cars in the National Assembly, we did not hear fights. The time they’ve shared money and budgetary allocation, we did not hear fight, we are now hearing fight again.”

Adeyanju picked holes in Natasha’s claim asking if it is “possible for Akpabio to harass Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan without Senator Ireti knowing? They are best of friends. They are always together.”

He therefore challenged Natasha to make available evidence to back her claim “since they have refused to give her fair hearing. So let her make public credible evidence to back up the claim. It’s very easy. The man has said she is a liar I did not do anything to her. So if there are evidence maybe, come over and reveal them, expose the man.

“After all, he who alleges must prove. Why are you protecting the man? If it is true that, let her bring forward the evidence so that we can help her,” Adeyanju said.

Adeyanju Challenges Senator Natasha To Present Evidence Against Akpabio is first published on The Whistler Newspaper