The recent sexual harassment scandal that rocked the National Assembly and the scurried reaction to banish Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central, to as far away as possible from the Senate only exposes that supposedly hallowed chamber to public ridicule more than it did to silence her.
Can the Senators convince themselves that they have been fair enough to Senator Natasha, who had accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment? Which is by far a more serious allegation than the issue of abuse of privileges and rules for which they, with the speed of light, sent her on suspension.
According to her, she had been singled out for victimisation because she refused Senator Akpabio’s overtures. Definitely, such an allegation is grievous and weighty and he who alleges must prove.
Again, it’s only Natasha and Akpabio who know the truth and who can say for certain what the real situation is. Therefore, all those who have pitched camp with either of the parties involved are doing so simply on sentiments and personal interests.
The senate handed out the heaviest possible punishment available, even before attempting to investigate the matter and also ignoring a court order. What this portends is a case of a hurried attempt to save the National Assembly from a soiled reputation.
If one can situate the position of the male senators, who for sake of gender solidarity may be biased, how about Natasha’s female colleagues and some other female politicians and women groups, who have chosen to stand logic on its head with commentaries and interventions that are unbecoming of any rational mind?
Listening to Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, saying as a senator, a female Senator would have “passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed” because you somehow become gender neutral, is like saying immorality at that level is a given and should not be a big deal.
Ita-Giwa’s argument, for me, therefore, forecloses the possibility of anyone being sexually harassed at that level of one’s life. She also dismissed the issue by saying talking about it shows weakness on the part of the woman. For Senator Ita-Giwa, who is over 70 years, an allegation such as this should be among teenagers and students.
As for Senator Ireti Kingibe, she said that Natasha was even more favoured in the Senate more than other women and so suggesting that she cannot understand why Natasha is complaining about being victimised.
She also seemed to claim omnipresence when she said the other three female senators have not been sexually harassed.
Did they all tell her so or because she is assuming divinity with the almighty she knows for certain the nature of all men and what they are capable of at all times?
Consider also the reaction of Mrs. Akpabio and see if you can make anything meaningful out of it. Yes, the Senate president is her husband, but can she in all sincerity claim to know all her husband does? In all those places mention where the alleged incidents happened, was Mrs. Akpabio with them or is she just doing that to protect her personal interests, benefits and privileges?
Mrs. Akpabio went to the extent of suing her husband’s accuser for defamation. On what premise is she doing that and why go to court before the accused? By vouching for her husband and describing him as “disciplined and respectful”, is she saying she has a meter on him or she has some kind of surveillance 24/7 around him? And as we say in local lingo, Nobi juju be dat?
For the Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, it’s all about Senate rules and class interests.
Hear him: Her suspension would enable her to “learn the rules of the Senate”.
“Akpoti-Uduaghan should use her suspension to “learn the rules of the Senate”.
“I asked her what she will gain if she tries to pull the Senate president down.”
On the part of Akpabio, who finally defended himself and denied the allegations, his allusions to his being a “gender-friendly” governor and pointing out his cherished personal relationships with women does not in any way make him less culpable of the allegation neither does it address the direct issue of sexual harassment against Senator Matasha in particular.
Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions dismissed her petition. It was a fait accompli. Everyone knew her suspension was automatic, which is why Natasha ran to the court to stop them, but the same Senate who would suspend her for disregarding its rules had no qualms flouting a court order.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Neda Imasuen, stated that the petition was “dead on arrival,” citing a breach of Order 40 of the Senate Standing Order.
According to Imasuen, Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the petition herself instead of having it endorsed by another individual, rendering it procedurally invalid adding also, that since the issues raised in the petition were already in court it would amount to subjudice. This was last Wednesday.
By Thursday, the next day, suspension was served and delivered by the same man who is being accused. The Senate suspended and barred her from office for six months and will have her allowances and security withdrawn. As if that was not enough they stopped the salaries of her personal aides and staff. They also barred her from parading herself as a Senator forthwith. This is in spite of the fact a court had ruled in the past that a senator cannot be suspended for more than 14 days.
Those who think this overkill is all about breaking Senate rules and regulations are either gullible or mischievous or both.
What they want to make us belief is that Natasha was handed this punishment because she refused to change sitting position as requested by the Senate or her refusal to stand up while the Senate president was entering the floor of assembly on Wednesday and Thursday, must either be smart by half or are part of those who have entrenched patriarchy and misogyny in the society.
What sane society would people argue that because a woman wears transparent dress or rubs pancake, she must be loose and must accept all advances at her or that because she had once apologised in the past for wrongly accusing someone of sexual harassment, then the current case in question cannot stand or is not worth being investigated? Can a woman be raped just because she is a prostitute?
I do not have any reason to believe Natasha nor do I have any to also believe Akpabio, because all of us who have chosen to take sides in the matter were not at the scene of the alleged crime.
Therefore, the only way to get to the bottom of the matter is for proper investigation to take place and I insist it must be publicly done.
Since that cannot be realised now at the Senate because Senator Natasha has been sent to political limbo and taken out of the way, we await the verdict of the court and hope that a political solution should not be sought to end this matter just like was the case of Dele Farotimi and Chief Afe Babalola. We want to know the truth.
As it’s now, calling for the execution of Natasha, if they have such power, is by far more acceptable than this mob action hurriedly executed, rail-roaded to achieve a premeditated goal.
Some blame her for shunning the committee and insisting on open proceedings of the Ethics committee. For this group of people I want to ask them what chance a cockroach has in a gathering of chickens?
