By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday vowed that he would not succumb to pressure by stepping down following allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
He stated this at plenary after the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, announced that despite criticism from some quarters, the 10th Senate would not succumb to blackmail by supporting calls for the resignation of the Senate President based on frivolous allegations.
He said, “Because you said those who would have asked me to step down, who told you I was going to step down?
“You know, if you watch the colour of America, there are black people because of their skin who went to prison, for 25 years, for false allegations.
“So, I do not step down over false allegations. Then, when proven that the allegation was false, they will say, Oh, well, it was a mistake.
“I’m not that bad. So, if you had that in mind, please cancel it. I won’t step down. So, I must thank you for the words that you have spoken today.”
*Threatens to summon Defence Minister over comments on security summit
Speaking on the issue of the security summit, which the Defence Minister, Mohammed Badaru, condemned during a ministerial press briefing on Wednesday, Akpabio said the Senate may soon summon the Minister.
Badaru downplayed the importance of the Senate’s proposed security summit, stressing that strategy renewal is far more critical to combating insecurity.
Akpabio noted that the Senate Leader did not indict the Defence Minister but reported him.
He said, “The Senate will look into that issue. If the Defence Minister has any problem with any Senate resolution, he shouldn’t do so in the market. He should get in touch with the Senate President or the Senate Elders.
“Senator Abdul Ningi, I’m speaking your mind. It should get in touch with us, not to go and speak in the open. And it will amount to Executive Legislative Brouhaha. So, we will pick that up at the appropriate time.”
Earlier, the Senate Leader said he was elected into office to be criticised but that such criticism should not be based on false allegations.
Bamidele said, “I was elected into office to be criticised. We are not opposed to that. But I don’t know what to do when people falsify things about us or deliberately try to call us out.
“We are focused on what we will spend the rest of our time here doing. We are concerned about the national security of our country. And that’s why listening to the Honourable Minister of Defence yesterday (Wednesday), describing our resolution to hold a national security summit as unnecessary, was funny.
“My only message to the Honourable Minister is that it is a resolved national security summit. Some of the security summits in the past did not go any further. Because if the Honourable Minister in charge even thought we, as elected representatives, didn’t have to want to hold this summit.
“We are concerned by the fact that we know that there is a new sheriff in town and an elected president who understands the need to work with the parliament and who will not take for granted the rest of the parliament.
“I therefore say to the Honourable Minister, when it is time to hold a national security summit, you should be eager to honour our invitation.
