A former Niger Delta freedom fighter and South-South Coordinator of The Asiwaju Group (TAG), Pastor Reuben Wilson, has urged Nigerians to stand by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, in the face of the attacks against him by the suspended representative of Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
This is coming even as Wilson warned her against further distracting Senator Akpabio, the National Assembly and indeed the Federal Government.
Wilson, who is also the founder, Pastor Reuben Initiative for Good Leadership and Accountability (PRIFGLA), said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s alleged sexual harassment may have been a ploy to stop the Senate from punishing her for disobeying the senate rules, adding that her activities and actions were inimical to the progress and development of the country.
In a statement on Friday, Wilson recalled the events that led to the fisticuff between the suspended senator and the Senate president, noting that it was necessary for her to advice herself and refrain from anything that would attack the integrity of the Senate and Nigeria.
He said: “This call is premised on the fact that the unruly and inappropriate behaviour of Senator Natasha in the hallowed chamber of the senate shows clearly that she lost focus on her legislative duties and had turned herself to be a distraction to the Senate and the Nigerian people, and therefore, there is the urgent need to have a sober reflection and redirect her energy to competently discharge her primary responsibility as a legislator.
“I totally agree with the fact that Senator Natasha has a constitutionally guaranteed right to speak up against oppression and discriminatory policies targeted at her or when her rights as a senator are infringed upon but such must also be done in line with the principles of decorum and respect for parliamentary procedures.
“As a senator, she must thoroughly study the extant procedural rules and conduct herself in accordance with such rules of the senate. She cannot conduct herself in a manner that shows she’s above the rules of the senate.
“I’m greatly disturbed that a mere conventional change of seats that was occasioned by new defections in the senate, which wasn’t targeted at Senator Natasha, but also affected other senators, could make her behave in such an unruly manner and create so much negative content that has greatly distracted the senate and the Nigerian people.
“Let Senator Natasha deploy her energy to supporting and sponsoring bills(if and when she returns to the senate) that will move this country forward and better the lot of the poor masses, rather than fighting for a mere sitting position in the senate that will not contribute in any way to enhancing the quality of her representation or the discharge of her legislative duties.
“She must give priority attention to her primary responsibility as a legislator if she has to be taken seriously or be considered as a senator that’s in the senate for the betterment of the country.”
Wilson said rather than bring down the senate and continue to rubbish the country in the comity of nations, Natasha should “prioritise the welfare and interests of her constituents and the nation at large, above personal and selfish interests.
“The position of a senator is not just a privilege for self-aggrandisement but a responsibility to serve the people.
“I’m therefore calling on her to focus on her legislative duties of lawmaking, oversight functions and representation.
“This call is necessitated by the strength of my findings, which suggests that the primary aim of the sexual harassment allegation was to escape punishment from the Senate Committee on ethics and privileges, which was investigating Senator Natasha for breach of the rules of the Senate.
“It was a desperate attempt to divert attention from her disciplinary proceedings.
“She was trying to manipulate the senate and the Nigerian people to avoid punishment for her unruly behaviour.”
The South South chieftain of the All Progressives Congress also questioned the integrity of the suspended senator over the sexual harassment allegations, especially considering the posture and position of her husband, and also wondered why Akpoti-Uduaghan’s statements on television contradicted her husband’s claims.
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Wilson said: “There are obvious contradictions found in both her claims in her television interview and the statement made by her husband.
“While her husband claimed to have had a private meeting with the senate president, where he requested the senate president to accord his wife her due respect, following the allegation of sexual harassment, she claimed that her husband met with the senate president to plead with him to allow her move her motion on Ajaokuta Steel Company, without the husband knowing about the sexual harassment she was experiencing from the senate president.
“Also the claim by her husband that his wife doesn’t hide anything from him contradicts her claim of not telling her husband about the sexual harassment till her public disclosure of same.
“It is already in the public domain, that Senator Natasha had in the past made similar unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment against prominent persons, such as Reno Omokri, Dino Melaye and Yahaya Bello.
“She made those allegations without evidence and couldn’t substantiate them, but went ahead to give them serious media hype.
“It has become a notorious fact that anytime she needs public sympathy to achieve a desired goal, she brings up sexual harassment allegations because many people buy into stories of sexual harassment without critically analysing the credibility and veracity of such claims.”
Wilson said Akpoti-Uduaghan’s theatrics may have also been enacted as part of a grand plot to distract the Senate president and get him removed so that those behind it can install a Senate president they can use to fight and distract President Bola Tinubu from successfully executing his vision for the holistic development of the country.
He urged Akpabio to refuse to be distracted, even as he urged Nigerians to give their full support to President Tinubu to enable him effectively govern the country in line with the renewed hope agenda.
He added: “I’m using this medium to also call on the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio not to be distracted by the activities of unpatriotic Nigerians who don’t mean well for the country.
“He should continue to maintain the highest standard of parliamentary decorum and protect the ethical integrity of the Senate.
“He should continue to use his great wealth of knowledge and experience to strengthen the National Assembly and re-position it for more productive engagements and better results.”
Wilson also hailed Akpabio for what he called the senator’s ability to enthrone legislative excellence and stability in the National Assembly.
He added: “His transformational leadership and vision has made the National Assembly to be more result-oriented and productive.
“The 10th National Assembly is more focused on proffering legislative solutions and interventions to help President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to effectively tackle the plethora of challenges facing the country.
“Nigerians shouldn’t be distracted by the shenanigans and mischievous activities of the few unpatriotic elements bent on pulling down the Senate President in order to use the National Assembly to fight President Tinubu, for their selfish interests.
“As a patriotic and development-oriented citizen, I believe strongly that a united, peaceful and prosperous nation should be the ultimate interest of all patriotic and well-meaning Nigerians.
“Therefore, supporting the federal government in its bid to transform and accelerate the holistic development of our country should be the primary focus of all patriots. Nigerians should eschew divisive tendencies and focus on national unity and development.
“I consider it very important and necessary to make this patriotic call because Nigeria needs a stable, peaceful and productive environment to thrive and prosper.
“We don’t need to unnecessarily distract our leaders.
“We must give our leaders the encouragement and enabling working environment to optimally perform their duties for the prosperity and betterment of our nation.”
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