By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
A former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has advised the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, against politicising or trivializing the call on him to ensure an open and transparent investigation into the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against him by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a statement by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, yesterday, Saraki expressed disappointment that Akpabio could describe his sincere advice as an attempt to remove a Niger Delta person from office.
Saraki urged Akpabio to read his press statement dated March 1, 2025, very carefully to understand that he never suggested the resignation of the Senate President.
He said Akpabio should act in the best interest of the legislative institution by ensuring that no reasonable person is left with any doubt that the Senator’s allegations were investigated and justifiably dispensed with.
Part of the statement read, “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 specific 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 our current times. However, its underlying motive of politicizing and trivializing 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.
“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 SenatorSenator 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, Saraki made it clear that his intervention was neither about Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan nor whether her claim was correct.
“He stated that since the Senator has gone public with such serious allegations against the presiding officer, the institution’s image should be saved through an honest, sincere, open, transparent, and unbiased investigation.
“In that press statement, he also pointed out that there are already existing processes recommended in the Constitution, laws of the land, Senate rules, conventions, and precedents to be followed in carrying out such investigation.
“Again, Saraki firmly believes that his suggestions are for the benefit of the legislative institution. So, he will repeat the same suggestion no matter where the Senate President comes from and whichever party he belongs to.
“It is not because the incumbent is a member of the APC, that the former Senate President is from the PDP, or that the former is from the South-South zone while the latter is from the North Central zone.
“Far from it. Describing Saraki’s comment along those primordial lines is disingenuous and crude.
“This issue is not one in which Akpabio should exploit ethnic sentiments, political division, or regional proclivity. This will neither be in his interest nor that of the institution he presides in. He should face reality on the ground and do what is right.
“The former Senate President 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 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, 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 enthronement of the culture of silence.
“With such an investigation, the general public and the international community will have more confidence in our legislative institution. People like Saraki have made huge sacrifices in defending the integrity of the legislative institution and will not desist in speaking up for the right thing to be done. May God bless our institutions and our country.”
