Text of World Press Conference by Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity and Justice in Conjunction with Media Practitioners for Development on March 13th 2025 at the NUJ Press Centre Utako Abuja to Pass Vote of Confidence on His Excellency Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio for His Inclusive Leadership and Sterling Performance so far.
Good Afternoon Gentlemen of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. All protocols duly observed.It is with a great sense of patriotism, dedication to equity and and gender inclusiveness, good governance, that we address you this afternoon.
For about 3 weeks now, the media space has been inundated by vitriol, falsehood and verbal attacks being propagated by Sen. Natasha Uduaghan and her illicit sponsors in unrelenting effort to tarnish the image of the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Sen Godswill Obot Akpabio.
This week again, the matter took international dimensions as Sen Natasha illegally attended Inter- Parliamentary Union meeting in Geneva Switzerland and further vented the same falsehood with phantom emotional outcry of victimization in Nigerian Senate.
Ordinarily, we would have ignored this matter especially as the Senate in conformity with standing rules has addressed it but a woman crying victimization is like a sheep found dead in lion’s dane.
It requires conscious clarification to decipher the innocent. Followers of this development would have noticed that she has been changing her narratives and allegations at every instance with emotion and sophistry.
Like the biblical Pontius wife did to Joseph, Sen Natasha turned the well-intended administrative norm of rearranging sitting position in the Senate into an issue of rancor and vituperation when she against every persuasion refused to accept the sit allocated to her. In expression of unprovoked anger she threw cation and common sense to the winds and randomly violated Senate rules.
Firstly, She refused to take the sit allocated to her, secondly, she broke the protocol and spoke when the presiding officer has not asked her to do so and Thirdly She used foul language in addressing the Senate to the extent of abusing the presiding officer. On realizing that she has committed infractions against the red chamber which surely will earn her sanctions, she came up with the flimsy allegation of sexual harassment in an attempt to rope in the presiding officer so as to get her off the hook.
The 109 Senators cannot be fooled. As a result, they were able to read between the lines, separate the chaff from the grain and penalize her with suspension in accordance with the relevant Senate rules.
At this point she has been crying fowl to whoever that cares to listen that she is being victimized for being a woman. But it is clear that they are other women in the Senate. Why is she the only one alleging sexual harassment?
As Senator Florence Ita Giwa,a prominent member of the 1999 class, recently stated ”once you are elected to the Senate you cannot be sexually harassed” .The Senate is the highest law making body in Nigeria. It is not a college campus. It comprises of Prominent and morally upright citizens committed to improving the Nigerian economy. The Senate President, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio is committed to enhancing the 35 percent affirmative action and all barriers inhibiting women participation in politics.
A prominent human Rights lawyer once stated you cannot sexually harass a woman in her husband’s presence.Why didn’t she complain of sexual harassment all this while until she ran foul of the Senate Rules.At this juncture,we make bold to state that her allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President is baseless, questionable and an affront to truth and logic .
We urge her to stop distracting the Nigerian Senate as our nation has more serious issues demanding legislative action.His Excellency Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio is presiding over the Senate effectively transparently and inclusively.The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security, Good Governance, Equity and Justice and Media Practitioners for Development therefore passes a vote of confidence on him.
The statement was jointly signed by Comrade James Okoronkwo, National Coordinator, Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Peace, Security and Good Governance and Comrade Johnson Eze, Convener Media Practitioners for Development (MPD).