A civil society group, Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPDN), has cautioned former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, not to play politics with the allegation of sexual harassment levelled against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The group also called on the Upper Legislative chamber of the National Assembly not to be distracted by the sexual harassment allegation.
The group’s Executive Director, Francis Okereke Wainwei, in a statement in Abuja on Monday said Natasha’s allegations and subsequent theatrics were plots by the Kogi-born lawmaker to escape punishment from the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges investigations for breach of Senate rules.
According to the group: “It is our highly considered opinion that the sexual harassment allegation is a grand ploy by Sen. Natasha to escape punishment from the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges for her flagrant breach of the Senate rules,” the group argued.
“She wants to use the sexual harassment allegation to distract the Senate committee and attract sympathy from both the Senate and the Nigerian people as a victim of the illegitimate use of power by the Senate President.”
It called on the Senate to religiously adhere to the strict enforcement of its rules and extant parliamentary procedures to ensure the sustenance of its parliamentary integrity and due process without being swayed negatively by any extraneous distraction or sentiment.
The group added the Senate should focus on discharging its constitutional responsibilities and duties to the Nigerian people and shouldn’t waste its precious time and resources on frivolous issues, such as the Sen. Natasha sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President, as she didn’t even formally present it before the Senate.
Condemning the call by Saraki that Akpabio should step aside for his Deputy to preside over the investigation of the alleged sexual harassment, the group expressed disappointment that such a statement was made by such a highly respected former parliamentarian, who knows the rules of the Senate and its parliamentary procedures.
“Mr. Saraki is aware that before any allegation or any matter can be investigated by the Senate, it must be raised in the Senate or formally presented before it. This matter was never raised or presented in the Senate, so how can the Senate investigate it? And also, the incident Sen. Saraki referred to is materially and factually different from the instant matter,” it noted.
“While the matter under his Senate Presidency was a matter that directly affected the running of his office as Senate President and was raised in the Senate, this sexual harassment matter is a private matter that allegedly happened outside of the Senate, that doesn’t directly affect the administration of the office of the Senate President and was never formally presented before the Senate.
“We know that Sen. Saraki is playing politics with this sexual harassment matter. He is using it to attract accolades and applause from his party faithfuls in preparation for the 2027 elections and also to show solidarity with his party member as a partisan leader, but such comments are not patriotic and don’t mean well for the nation. When issues like this arise, every patriotic leader is expected to be objective and address the issues frontally without being sentimental.”
