Godswill Akpabio, the current Senate President, has come under fire from former Senate President Bukola Saraki for claiming that Saraki wants a member of the Niger Delta removed from the Senate presidency.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Saraki said that his previous call to Akpabio to guarantee that an open and transparent process was established to look into the complaint made against him by one of his coworkers, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, had been misunderstood as an attempt to have Akpabio removed.
In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, the head of his media office, Saraki clarified his positions. The former head of the national parliament advised the Senate President to carefully study his March 1, 2025, press release so that he would realize that he made no suggestions regarding the Senate President’s departure.
Speaking to a few young ethnic groups on Friday, Akpabio asserted that because he is from the Niger Delta, some people in Kwara and Adamawa States want him removed. Saraki accused the Senate President of giving a false impression of the matter at hand, viewing the comment as a means of politicizing and trivializing a grave matter that jeopardizes the integrity, legitimacy, and significance of the legislative.
According to the statement, “Dr. Saraki never called on the Senate President to resign or step aside in his last comment on the Akpabio-Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan crisis.” Instead, he advised the Senate President to be aware that perception is reality and refrain from handling the senators’ accusations in a way that would give the impression that the Senate is attempting to hide problems related to sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and abuse of power.
Additionally, Dr. Saraki clarified that his participation had nothing to do with Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan or the veracity of her claim. Since the senator has made such grave accusations against the presiding officer public, he said, an honest, sincere, open, transparent, and impartial investigation is necessary to preserve the institution’s reputation. He further said in that press release that procedures already in place that are advised to be followed in conducting such an investigation are found in the Constitution, national legislation, Senate rules, conventions, and precedents.
Once more, Dr. Saraki is adamant that his recommendations will help the legislative branch. Therefore, he will reiterate the same recommendation regardless of the Senate President’s political affiliation or background.The former Senate President is not from the PDP just because the incumbent is an APC member, nor is it because the former is from the South-South zone and the latter is from the North Central zone. Not at all. Using such primitive language to characterize Dr. Saraki’s remark is dishonest and impolite.
Akpabio should not take advantage of regional predilection, political discord, or ethnic feelings on this matter. His own interests and the interests of the organization he is leading will not be served by this. He ought to act morally and confront the situation as it is.
According to the former Senate President, any sensitive issue involving sexual harassment, gender discrimination, or maltreatment of women invokes the suffering that thousands of women endure on a daily basis across our society. Therefore, when it is brought up in a setting such as the legislative branch, we have the chance to address it as openly and transparently as possible to guarantee that justice is not only carried out but also conspicuously demonstrated to have been carried out.
Once more, Dr. Saraki supports and upholds his previous recommendation to Akpabio and the Senate leadership about the accusations made by the Kogi State senator. “To prevent the Senate from being perceived as an organization that condones sexual harassment, gender bias, mistreatment and victimization of women, abuse of power, and the enthronement of the culture of silence, an open, transparent, and honest investigation of the allegations is still required.
“The public and the foreign community will have greater faith in our legislative institution as a result of such an examination. “People like Dr. Saraki will not stop advocating for what is right and have made tremendous sacrifices to protect the integrity of the legislative institution.” God bless our nation and its institutions.
A new sitting seat offered to her by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership was rejected by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. After Natasha accused Akpabio of sexual harassment on national television, the argument intensified. Since then, the Senate President has refuted the allegation. After that, Natasha received a six-month suspension from the Senate. It is not anticipated that the lawmaker and her staff will be paid during this time. Following an official appeal she filed with the Senate on Akpabio’s alleged sexual harassment, she was suspended on Thursday. CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
