Akpabio-Natasha Rift: A Boon For Peace Prospects As Women Affairs Minister Initiates Mediation Efforts

Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Iman Suleiman-Ibrahim disclosed on Friday that she has initiated mediation efforts in respect of the rift between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate President, Barrister Godswill Akpabio.

She also emphasized the need for the senate to temper justice with mercy.

Recall that the Senate had not only announced Natasha’s suspension on Thursday but also warned that, ‘for the period of her suspension, she is barred from presenting herself to the public, both locally and internationally, as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’.

Recall also that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged that she is being victimized by the Senate President, Barrister Godswill Akpabio because she had refused to join him in participating in the game that requires no referee.

The drama had begun when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Disciplinary following altercations involving her and the Senate President over seating arrangements during a plenary session a few days ago,

The Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions was given two weeks to submit its report.

Natasha and Akpabio had since then continued to grab the headlines.

The senate suspended Natasha for 6 months on Thursday.

‘We’re engaging all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy’ Minister for Women Affairs told State House correspondents during a ‘Meet-the-Press’ Programme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Friday.

The minister also lamented that the number of female legislators has been decreasing.

‘It’s an unfortunate incident that should not happen. In the last assembly, we had nine senators that were women.

 We don’t want to be losing any woman member in the Senate or decrease in numbers.

We’re going to be brokering peace. We’ll engage all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy’ Mrs. Iman Suleiman-Ibrahim added while noting that the Senate President’s response has been encouraging.

‘I was at the National Assembly yesterday, at the Senate where we marked the International Women’s Day.

The last thing the Senate president said was that ‘we’re open to broker peace.’

So, we’re going to be the intermediary between the two parties to see that we broker peace; for peace to reign, and then we’ll continue to sensitise everyone a o that we learn to work better together as women and men’ she said.

In the meanwhile, the leading opposition party, the PDP, has condemned the decision taken by the senate to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that the party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba noted that the actions taken by the Akpabio-led Senate leadership against Akpoti-Uduaghan appear to be an attempt to cover up the issue.

PDP said the hasty suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan without an open investigation into the weighty allegation of sexual harassment against the Senate President not only negates the principle of fair hearing especially in parliamentary convention but also portrays the Senate as an institution that endorses, condones and offers protection to reprobacy.

‘It is scandalous, and amounts to gross abuse of office and violation of the fundamentals of justice and fair hearing to sit as a judge in a matter in which he is the accused; a situation which validates public apprehension of a desperation by the embattled Senate President to suppress open legislative probe into the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against him.

If Senator Akpabio has nothing to hide, what Nigerians expected of him was to clear his name by stepping aside in line with established parliamentary practice, allow and submit to an open and unbiased investigation into the allegation of sexual harassment by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

It is indeed a national embarrassment that the person of the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly is being mentioned in a case of sexual harassment which has now tarred the image and integrity of the highest lawmaking body in Nigeria. Ordinarily, under this situation, the Senate President needs no prodding to step aside for an independent investigation to clear his name.

More distressing is the fact that since Senator Akpabio assumed office as the Senate President, the leadership of the Senate has been largely unfocused and constantly embroiled in scandals including allegations of financial impropriety as well as negligence and abdication of its constitutional duty of checks and balances to the excesses of the Executive Arm to the detriment of millions of Nigerians.

 Given the height of public anxiety on this allegation of sexual harassment which has already escalated into protests at the National Assembly, the PDP urges the Senate to redeem its image and integrity by immediately reinstating Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and ensuring an open investigation into the matter’ the statement added-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you