Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has called on suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide substantial proof of her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpoti-Uduaghan recently accused Akpabio of making inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his residence in December 2023.
Following her claims, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions reviewed her actions and other alleged misconduct, recommending a six-month suspension, which was subsequently approved by the Senate.
Her suspension comes with several additional penalties, including the closure of her Senate office, the withholding of her salaries and allowances, the withdrawal of her security detail, a ban on official representation, and a restriction from entering the National Assembly premises for the duration of the suspension.
In a statement on Friday, Adeyanju said the issue between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio has been overemphasized, urging all parties involved to take the matter to court for resolution.
He also criticised the focus on the controversy instead of pressing national issues like the tax reform bill.
“The matter has been overflogged. I believe that parties should go to court and resolve their matters. And we should focus on Nigeria’s tax reform bill and see how we can galvanize and stop the tax reform bill from being passed, which is more important than this international issue,” he said.
Adeyanju also questioned why senators involved in the dispute had not previously spoken out against policies he described as harmful to Nigerians.
“The question I have asked is: when all these anti-people policies of the Tinubu government were taking place, why didn’t these senators who are now fighting over the allegation of sexual harassment, and allegations of ‘oh, she’s embarrassing the Senate’ oppose these policies?
“All the times they’ve shared cars in the National Assembly, we did not hear any fight. The times they’ve shared money and budgetary allocations, we did not hear any fight. Now, we are hearing a fight.”
He further urged Akpoti-Uduaghan to publicly present credible evidence to support her claims, given that Akpabio has denied the allegations.
“I sincerely feel that Senator Natasha should, as a matter of necessity, since they have refused to give her a fair hearing in the Senate, make public credible evidence to back up her claim.
“It’s very easy. The man has said it is a lie. ‘I did not do anything to her.’ So if there are messages — maybe ‘oh, please come over’ — please reveal them, expose the man. After all, he who alleges must prove. Why are you protecting the man?”
Earlier this week, Akpoti-Uduaghan escalated her case internationally, seeking intervention from global democratic institutions. While speaking at the Women in Parliament session during the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting at the United Nations in New York, she described her suspension as “illegal” and an injustice.
In response, IPU President Dr. Tulia Jackson stated that the organization would listen to both sides before taking any action on the case presented by Akpoti-Uduaghan against the Senate and Akpabio.
