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Akpabio, Others To Appear Before Senate Committee, Says Deputy Chief Whip
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions (SCEPPP).
This is according to the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
He stated that other lawmakers too would narrate to the committee what they know regarding the alleged case of sexual harassment levelled against Akpabio by Natasha.
“All the parties involved would appear before the Committee, including the Senate President. He would come and testify and his testimony would be recorded, likewise other senators,” he stated.
Natasha, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on February 28 alleged that the incident occurred in December 2023 when she and her husband visited Akpabio’s residence in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State.
She alleged that during the visit, the Senate President held her hand, led her around his house, and then made inappropriate advances towards her, even in her husband’s presence.
But Nwebonyi, who represents Ebonyi North, accused his colleague of diverting attention, adding that the upper chamber is not perturbed by the allegation.
“In criminal prosecution, there is what we call prima facie evidence, that is evidence on the surface. If there is no prima facie evidence, then there is no case.
“She knows quite alright that what she is saying is to divert attention but we are not disturbed because we know the truth.
“On the alleged date of the incident, so many senators were there. I am one of the star witnesses, I will come and tell the world what I saw,” he added.
Natasha Reports Akpabio
The Senate suspended the lawmaker for violation of the Senate’s rules days after she submitted a petition against Akpabio for sexual assault and other accusations, claims the Senate President has strongly refuted.
But on Tuesday, the suspended Kogi Senator took her case to a global stage.
At the Women in Parliament session held at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting (IPU) at the United Nations in New York, Senator Natasha sought justice and the intervention of global democratic institutions.
The lawmaker demanded justice over what she described as injustice meted out to her. Senator Natasha described her suspension from the Senate as illegal.
“I was suspended illegally because I submitted a petition for sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. I thought that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself and both of us would submit ourselves to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition for a fair, transparent investigation. But unfortunately, I was silenced and I was suspended,” she told the gathering.
“That means I’m here illegally, but I have no other place to go but to come here and speak to you because this is a bigger picture. This is a bigger picture. It depicts the crisis of women’s political representation. My suspension is not just about me. It’s about the systemic exclusion of women from political leadership in Nigeria,” the Kogi lawmaker added.
“At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria,” he said.
The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse, urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from concluding.
The Oodua Integrity Group, a Nigerian civil society organisation, has called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to investigate and arrest an alleged gun runner, land grabber,popularly called then insert Lucky Blessings Abuah aka bullets of Achala Ibusa village operating in Asaba and Ibuzor, Delta State, accusing him of orchestrating criminal activities with the aid of rogue police officers.
Tosin Olaoluwa, the group’s South-South coordinator, made the appeal following intelligence gathered from concerned residents.
The suspect, identified as Achala Ibusa but popularly known as “Bullet,” is accused of running a network involving illegal arms trafficking, land grabbing, and cult-related activities.
Olaoluwa claimed Bullet operates with the protection of police officers from Rivers State, in violation of regulations prohibiting officers from working outside their command without approval.
According to the group, four AK-47 rifles were recently discovered hidden in a house in Ibuzor.
Two mobile police officers guarding the property reportedly distanced themselves from the find, raising suspicions of their involvement with Bullet, who is allegedly a leader of the Viking cult.
The Oodua Integrity Group further alleged that an assistant commissioner of police is complicit in Bullet’s activities.
The group highlighted that up to 10 mobile police officers are attached to Bullet, despite IGP Egbetokun’s recent directive to withdraw such personnel from individuals not legally entitled to their services.
“We urge the IGP to take immediate action to arrest the culprit in the interest of the general public,” Olaoluwa said, describing Bullet as a miscreant exploiting government security agents to perpetrate crimes.
In a separate incident, the group claimed that security agents from an agency in Abuja, acting on intelligence, were prevented from arresting Bullet by his police escorts.
The officers, reportedly from Rivers State, allegedly used tear gas and fired shots to obstruct the operation.
The Oodua Integrity Group warned that Bullet’s activities, including stockpiling AK-47s and other weapons in Asaba and Ibuzor, pose a significant threat to public safety.
They called for a thorough investigation into the allegations and the immediate apprehension of those involved.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to respond to the allegations. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
The competition and consumer protection tribunal has upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
In a statement on Friday by Ondaje Ijagwu, the agency’s director for corporate affairs, FCCPC said the tribunal also awarded $35,000 to the commission as the cost of investigation.
On July 19, 2024, FCCPC imposed a fine of $220 million on Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, for multiple data privacy violations.
However, Meta said it would appeal the fine.
The case stemmed from a 38-month joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into the privacy practices and consumer data policies of WhatsApp and Meta.
Delivering judgment on Thursday in Abuja, the tribunal led by Thomas Okosun ruled that the FCCPC acted within its constitutional and statutory powers in investigating and sanctioning the companies for alleged anti-competitive and exploitative practices.
The tribunal dismissed the appeals filed by Meta and WhatsApp, which challenged the legal basis of the commission’s findings and orders.
Instead, it upheld the commission’s position on nearly all contested issues.
Gbolahan Elias (SAN) led WhatsApp and Meta’s legal teams, while Babatunde Irukera led the FCCPC’s legal team.
According to the statement, both teams had made their final arguments on behalf of their respective clients on January 28.
‘FCCPC ADHERED TO DUE PROCESS’
The tribunal, in its ruling, found that the FCCPC adhered to due process and acted within the law.
It resolved issues one to seven primarily in favour of the commission.
“The Tribunal resolved Issues 1 to 7 largely in favour of the FCCPC, dismissing the appellants’ objections to the Commission’s findings, orders, and legal competence,” the statement reads.
“One of the central issues (Issue 3), which alleged a breach of fair hearing, was decided in favour of the Commission, with the Tribunal affirming that the FCCPC fully discharged its quasi-judicial responsibilities by affording the appellants ample opportunity to respond.
“The Tribunal found no violation of constitutional due process.
“On Issue 4, which questioned the Commission’s powers in data protection and privacy, the Tribunal held that the FCCPC acted within its statutory mandate, reaffirming its authority under Section 104 of the FCCPA to regulate competition and consumer protection even in regulated industries.
“On Issue 5, which challenged the Commission’s findings regarding Meta’s privacy policies, the tribunal also resolved in the FCCPC’s favour.
“The Tribunal found no error in the Commission’s conclusions and held that the privacy policy in question did, in fact, offend Nigerian law.
“While issue 7 was largely resolved in favour of the commission, the tribunal set aside Order 7 of the commission’s final order, stating that it lacked sufficient legal basis.”
Commenting on the judgment, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman (EVC) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the FCCPC, welcomed the ruling, describing it as a landmark judgment reinforcing the commission’s mandate to protect consumers and ensure fair market practices.
He commended the commission’s legal team for their diligence.
Bello reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
A group known as the Guardians of Justice and Democratic Leadership has strongly condemned the escalating crisis in Zamfara State, calling for a state of emergency to be declared due to Governor Dauda Lawal’s alleged disregard for the rule of law and inaction on insecurity.
The group cited the ongoing power tussle between the governor and the Zamfara State House of Assembly, which has resulted in two parallel leaderships and a breakdown in governance.
The group’s executive director, Patriot Abel Adams, expressed deep concern over the state’s worsening security situation, with 14 local government councils experiencing rampant insecurity, killings, and destruction of properties.
Adams accused Governor Lawal of being one of the worst-performing governors in the country, lacking the capacity to govern and engaging in frivolous spending while the people suffered.
According to Adams, the governor’s actions have emboldened bandits and kidnappers, who have sacked whole communities and made life unbearable for the people of the state.
“Rather than strenuously work at eliminating the hydra-headed challenges of poverty, kidnapping, and banditry, the governor would rather engage in frivolous spending, make hypocritical sympathy visits to victims of the almost daily attacks and the families of the dead,” Adams said.
The group also criticised Lawal for presenting the state’s 2025 budget to an illegitimate assembly leadership, further exacerbating the crisis.
They pointed out that the governor’s actions are a clear disregard for the rule of law and the principles of separation of powers, which are fundamental to democracy.
“The governor should know that the same election that brought him to office and grants legitimacy to him as the governor is the same election that guarantees constitutional powers to the members of the State House of Assembly to act and represent their constituencies,” Adams said.
“No authority confers on him a more deserving priority order than that he is the governor of the State and must act within the constitutional allowance of his office.
“He is required to observe the principles of the rule of law, the principles of separation of powers and the observance of Checks and Balance, tenets without which democracy is no longer democracy but authoritarianism.
“The governor in failing to truly understand the tenets of democracy and uphold same, has also failed to take a cursory look at the House Standing Rules, but instead has gone on a miserable sightseeing, thinking that as a governor he has total tyrannical control and that the State Legislators are stooges and thus intends to turn them to effective rubber stamps.
“He failed woefully and has mis-constructed and misconstrued our democracy and the separation of powers, undermining it and insulting our collective sensibilities. He also underestimated the resilience of the 24 gallant patriots of democracy.
“Unfortunately, he is left with no option but must obey the new leadership of the House of Assembly or face the wrath of the people in an escalating crisis, which will make the State completely ungovernable for him and directly compel a declaration of the State of Emergency.
“We believe that the governor’s actions are a recipe for chaos and anarchy, and it’s only a matter of time before the situation becomes ungovernable. We call on the authorities to intervene and restore order in Zamfara State, ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens.”
The Guardians of Justice and Democratic Leadership also commended the 10 lawmakers who have been fighting for their rights and the rights of their constituents, despite facing intimidation and harassment from the governor’s camp.
“These lawmakers have shown courage and conviction in standing up for what is right, and we urge them to continue to defend the interests of their constituents,” Adams said.
The group’s call for a state of emergency in Zamfara State is based on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended), which empowers the president to declare a state of emergency in a state where the structure of government has broken down.
“We believe that the situation in Zamfara State meets this criteria, and it’s imperative that the authorities take swift action to restore order and stability,” Adams said.
The group warned that if the situation is not addressed, it could lead to further escalation of violence, displacement of people, and humanitarian crisis.
They urged the authorities to take immediate action to address the security challenges and ensure that the government is accountable to the people.
The Guardians of Justice and Democratic Leadership urged the authorities to take immediate action to restore order and stability in Zamfara State, ensuring the safety and well-being of its citizens.