CAN Condemns Akpabio Resignation Calls Over Natasha’s Sexual Harassment Claims

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has faulted the call for the resignation of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, following allegations of sexual harassment against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

This came after the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) accused the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) of supporting the Kogi Central senator in a bid to have Akpabio impeached.

CAN’s spoke on the matter through its chairman for the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. Joseph Hayab.

Quoting CAN during a media engagement in Kaduna, “There is a need for elders to step in, Akpabio and Natasha have people they respect and highly regard. Members of the National Assembly must take responsibility in handling this matter.”

The religious body argued that the call for impeachment was premature and unjustified as no concrete evidence has been established against Akpabio.

“Any group calling for Akpabio’s resignation should desist, as no one has been proven guilty in this matter. Taking sides will only escalate tensions. Allegations of sexual harassment must be treated with seriousness, but also with fairness and sobriety.”

It further urged the media to exercise caution in reporting on the matter, warning that sensational coverage could deepen national divisions along gender and regional lines.

CAN also called on political actors to focus on governance, stressing that the passage of the 2025 national budget should be the priority of lawmakers.

Meanwhile, PANDEF has accused the ACF of exploiting the allegations to advance a political agenda aimed at discrediting Southern leaders and restoring power to Northern Nigeria in 2027.

The PANDEF National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Obiuwevbi Ominimini, in a statement on Tuesday, alleged that the ACF’s claims of bias against Northern senators were an attempt to incite regional tensions and undermine President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Ominimini said, “The press release by the ACF is nothing but a political attack on Southern Nigeria. For the ACF to suggest that only northerners are being suspended and to call on northern senators to rally around their own is a direct threat to national unity.”

He recalled that in the 8th assembly when a southern senator was suspended under a northern Senate President, PANDEF did not interfere in the affairs of the National Assembly.

“The Senate is governed by rules and regulations. Suspensions and disciplinary actions have always been part of legislative proceedings. Anyone who feels aggrieved can seek legal redress. What ACF has done is an open call for division and a threat to the stability of Nigeria,” said Ominimini.

The southern group further condemned what it described as an attempt to create a false “anti-Arewa” narrative and called for security agencies to interrogate ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, over statements it deemed inciting.

CAN Condemns Akpabio Resignation Calls Over Natasha’s Sexual Harassment Claims is first published on The Whistler Newspaper