Concerned youth organisations in Nigeria, Arewa Youths for Good Governance, South-West Youths Development Initiative, Northern Youths for justice and Igbo Youths Progressive Forum have demanded the immediate resignation of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
This is coming amid the sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President by a female lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The allegation, it could be recalled, has dominated the airwaves in the past few days.
In a joint statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, the youths groups said they had expected the Senator to step aside during the Senate plenary on Tuesday.
The statement was signed by the coordinators of the groups- Ismail Jibril, Kehinde Sikiru, Ladoja Kehinde and Jonathan Ezeme.
They declared that: “Nigerians were last Friday treated to an embarrassing news involving the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, with a mind boggling allegation coming from Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“Ordinarily, one would have wished away this kind of allegation with a wave of the hand. However, this should not be the case.
“We say this with every sense of responsibility considering that this is not the first time Senator Akpabio is being accused of making such advances on women.
“We have not forgotten how a former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joy Nunieh, claimed Akpabio sexually harassed her. The now Senate President was then Minister of Niger Delta.
“Coincidentally, it was on the same television station where Natasha made this claim that Nuineh granted an interview and leveled allegations against Akpabio.
“She said on national television: Why did he not tell Nigerians that I slapped him in his guest house at Apo? I am the only Ogoni woman, the only Nigerian woman that has slapped him. I slapped him because of his plan B. Since he couldn’t get me to take that money, he thought that he could come up on me. He didn’t know that I’m a Port Harcourt girl. Port Harcourt girls are not moved by money…by somebody telling me that he will make me the substantive MD. Akpabio’s meetings with me were either at Apo or Meridien…Yes, I am accusing him of sexual harassment.”
“Five years after, Senator Natasha has come up to level the same allegation against the Senate President, a development that has brought not just the National Assembly to disrepute but the entire Nigerians.
“We have waited for days, thinking that the Senate President will toe the honourable path, which is to resign; this is the least expected in a sane clime. Unfortunately, he has clung on to his seat, pretending as though nothing had happened.
“This is totally unacceptable as there is no way he can be a judge in his own case. The Senate President cannot preside over a Senate that will have to interrogate the allegations against him. The moral burden is huge.
“Should Akpabio fail to resign, we urge the members of the National Assembly to redeem themselves by impeaching him. This is the only way to restore confidence in the parliament. The National Assembly, known as the Hallowed Chamber, cannot be left to be charmed by someone who has heavy allegations hanging on him. This touches on the root of the nation’s democracy- the parliament.
“It is only when Akpabio has stepped aside that both him and Natasha can appear before a probe committee, and have fair hearing, and justice seen to have been served. Anything to the contract will only lead to more witch-hunt of the female Senator.”
