By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, has faulted the analogy created by former senate president, Bukola Saraki, between his past case and the current allegations levelled against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, by the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Nwebonyi stated that the two situations are different.
Saraki, had on Saturday, drew a parallel between the importation case levelled against him during his reign as president of the red chamber and the sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.
But in a statement issued on Sunday, the Senate Deputy Chief Whip stressed that there’s no basis for the analogy.
“Saraki’s case was about official duties as Senate President—an accusation concerning the importation of an official vehicle. It was a procedural issue that was swiftly resolved through the Senate Ethics Committee.
“In contrast, the allegations against Akpabio are personal, unverified, and only emerged when the accuser faced disciplinary action,” Nwebonyi stated.
Nwebonyi also dismissed the sexual harassment allegations levelled against Akpabio by Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing them as politically motivated and an attempt to evade disciplinary action.
He argued that the claims were unsubstantiated and conveniently timed to deflect attention from an ongoing disciplinary process against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Nwebonyi further alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan has a history of making “reckless and false allegations” against prominent individuals, including Reno Omokri, Dino Melaye, and Yahaya Bello, adding that her accusations typically follow a pattern of “wild claims, media noise, and no evidence.”
“If she truly believed she was being victimised because of an alleged sexual harassment incident, the proper forum to raise such a grievance would have been the Senate itself, not a television interview. The Senate is moved by reason and laws, not sentiments and drama,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Whip also pointed out that Akpoti-Uduaghan was appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content in November 2023, before the alleged incident in Ikot Ekpene.
“If she had truly been a victim, why would the Senate leadership, under the same Akpabio, assign her such a critical leadership role?” he asked.
Nwebonyi insisted that the Senate must not allow itself to be manipulated by baseless allegations, urging Akpoti-Uduaghan to pursue her claims through the appropriate legal channels rather than using the Senate as a “stage for diversionary theatrics.”
“The correct course of action is clear: she should first answer to the Senate Ethics Committee for her misconduct. If she believes she has a valid sexual harassment claim, she should file a case in the appropriate legal forum, not use the Senate and the media as a shield against accountability,” he said.
He warned that legitimising such claims without evidence could set a dangerous precedent, where anybody could make false accusations to disrupt Senate proceedings.
“The Senate and Nigerians should not fall for this diversionary tactic. The Senate must stay focused, maintain order, and refuse to be blackmailed into legitimizing what is clearly an opportunistic falsehood,” Nwebonyi concluded.
