By Adesina Soyooye
A former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has warned Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of the dangers in joking with the serious allegation of se3ual harassment leveled against him, or play politics with it.
A serving Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, had publicly, on an international television, accused Akpabio of mistreating her because she refused to give in to his se3ual desires. However, the Senate has, so far, refused to investigate the allegation, and instead, rejected Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition, with Akpabio, the accused, presiding.
Saraki, in a statement from his Media Office signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Yusuph Olayinonu, lashed at Akpabio for trying to politicise and trivialise calls on him by Nigerians to subject himself to a transparent investigation into the serious allegations leveled against him by Akpoti-Uduaghan. Saraki had, earlier, called for a transparent investigation into Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations against Akpabio.
In response, Akpabio had, ridiculously, claimed that the calls for a transparent investigation were meant to remove a Niger Delta politician from office.
On Sunday, Saraki fired back in a strongly worded statement signed by Olaniyonu. The statement reads:
“The attention of the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office has been drawn to the statement made by Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, while addressing the leaders of some “youth ethnic groups” on Friday that certain individuals from Kwara and Adamawa States want him removed because he is from the Niger Delta region,
“Ordinarily, Dr. Saraki would have ignored the statement as a sign of the times in which we now live.
“However, its underlying motive of politicising and trivialising a serious issue that threatens the integrity, credibility, and importance of the legislature is the reason why we think we should not allow the Senate President to create a misleading impression of the issue at stake in the all-important institution that the National Assembly represents in our democracy.”
Dr Saraki emphasized that at no time did he call for the resignation of Akpabio. He said he only urged the Senate President to ensure that the allegations related to sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and abuse of office are investigated.
He referred Akpabio to read his press statement dated March 1, 2025, very well to confirm there was nowhere he suggested Akpabio’s resignation as the Senate President.
“Dr. Saraki, in his last comment on the Akpabio-Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan crisis, never called on the Senate President to resign or step aside. Rather, he urged the Senate President to be conscious of the fact that perception is reality and, therefore, he should avoid treating the allegations by the Senator in a manner that will create the perception that the Senate, as an institution, is trying to cover up issues bothering on sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and abuse of office.
“Also, Dr. Saraki made it clear that his intervention was neither about Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan nor whether her claim was right or not. He stated that since the Senator has gone public with such serious allegations against the presiding officer, the image of the institution should be saved through an honest, sincere, open, transparent, and unbiased investigation.”
The issue, Saraki warned “is definitely not one in which Akpabio should exploit ethnic sentiments, political division, or regional proclivity. This will neither be in his own interest nor that of the institution over which he is presiding. He should face the reality on the ground and do what is right.
“Saraki believes that when a sensitive matter suggesting sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and mistreatment of women comes up anywhere, it evokes the pains that thousands of women across the nooks and crannies of our society experience daily.
“Thus, when it is raised in a place like the legislative institution, it is an opportunity for us to handle it with utmost openness and transparency to ensure that justice is not only done but glaringly seen to be done.
“Once again, Dr. Saraki stands by, and maintains his earlier suggestion to Akpabio and the Senate leadership on the allegations raised by the Senator from Kogi State. An open, transparent, and honest investigation of the allegations is still needed to ensure that the Senate is not cast in the image of an institution that is tolerant of sexual harassment, gender bias, victimisation and mistreatment of women, abuse of office, and the enthronement of the culture of silence. By having such an investigation, the general public and the international community will have more confidence in our legislative institution”, the statement emphasized.
The Senate has since suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for a period of six months. In defence of its action which has been roundly condemned by not a few outraged Nigerians and Groups, the Senate said Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended not because of the se3ual harrassment allegation she leveled against Senate President Akpabio, but because of “misconduct.”
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