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By Israel Adamu, Jos
The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has described the sexual harassment allegations levelled against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as a script by opposition political parties.
The APC Forum equally warned against what it described as a plot to cause a breakdown of law and order in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and destabilize the President Bola Tibubu administration.
The warning followed the ‘Akpabio Must Go’ protests at the National Assembly and parts of the FCT on Wednesday, as Natasha’s supporters called on the Senate President to step down pending investigations into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him.
The protesters who arrived at the National Assembly gate as early as 8:00 am on Wednesday, carried banners with inscriptions such as ‘Akpabio Must Go’, and ‘Protect Women’s Rights’. They demanded accountability and urged the Senate to investigate Akpabio over the accusations.
Reacting to the development in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the North-Central APC Forum, in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC presidential campaign council in the 2023 election, said the protesters were mobilized to cause unrest and anarchy in the FCT.
The APC Forum issued a 24 hours ultimatum to the protesters to vacate the streets of the FCT.
“We are putting the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, DSS, and other security agencies on the alert over the plot to cause anarchy and unrest in the FCT by sponsored protesters who have been mobilized to cause trouble to advance the political agenda of the opposition.
“We are by this statement giving the protesters and their sponsors 24 hours to vacate the streets of the FCT. As stakeholders of the North-Central, which includes the FCT, we can’t stand by and watch as hoodlums and anarchists cause a breakdown of law and order in the capital city, which has been known for peace and tranquility since the coming of the administration of President Bola Tibubu.
“Failing to vacate the streets of the FCT in 24 hours, we will mobilize our people to counter them,” parts of the statement read.
Insisting that the sexual harassment allegations was part of a plot to blackmail Akpabio and discredit the APC government, the Forum said there is no evidence that the Senate President committed the alleged offense.
Noting that the records show that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was not the only senator to have had her seat reallocated in the chamber, the APC Forum wondered why she did not raise the sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio until she was to be investigated by the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for breaching the rules of the Senate.
“Does it mean that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would have kept silent on the purported sexual harassment if the Senate President Godswill Akpabio had not referred her to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for investigation for breach of Senate Rules?
“Senate President Godswill Akpabio has proved himself to be an effective leader of the National Assembly, leading to a harmonious and productive relationship between the executive and the legislature which has enabled President Bola Tinubu’s government to initiate and implement several transformative reforms.
“What is playing out in the Senate at the moment is a script by the opposition to destabilize the National Assembly and by extension the administration of President Bola Tibubu by derailing the fruitful working relationship between the executive and the legislature.
“We urge all members of our party and well meaning Nigerians to rise up against this sinister plot which should not be allowed to succeed.
“The North-Central APC Forum is also calling on the Senate, and the National Assembly as a whole, not to be distracted by the antics of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and her co-travellers whose motive is to destabilize the system for their selfish political interests,” the statement added.
Although Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan represents Kogi Central Senatorial District of Kogi State, in the North-Central, the Forum stressed that stakeholders of the zone are not in support of her actions.
“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is from our zone but as stakeholders of the North-Central, we disown her actions, which we believe are not in the interest of the progress and development of the region and the country as a whole,” the statement said.
It would be recalled that Akpabio, during plenary on Wednesday, denied the sexual harassment allegations against him, saying he has never harassed any woman.
