It was a controversy that was bound to expand in a devastating magnitude, with many predicting the fall of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, from his Olympian height. By the time the Senate Ethics Committee slammed a six-month suspension order on the accuser, there was no one to save the Kogi senator from the ravenous wolves her colleagues had become.
For violating the Senate Rules, Natasha, whose fame as the rising female political power was becoming deafening, was quarantined from the Senate she had sought to desecrate through a frivolous allegation of sexual harassment.
Familiar Terrain
Both Akpabio and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan are recurring names in sexual harassment incidents. The Kogi senator once alleged that she was a victim of sexual harassment unleashed on her by the former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri. It was only when he provided evidence that he was not in the country on the day Natasha accused him of sexually harassing her that he was let off the hook.
In 2020, the former acting managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joy Nunieh, said she slapped Akpabio over sexual advances; an allegation the latter denied. From the above, both characters have been involved as victim or accuser. In the current situation, the Senate president may be an alleged sexual predator, while the female senator is the alleged victim. Being a woman’s world, but some will quickly say it’s a man’s, the Akpabio-Natasha debate that is transforming into a debacle is driving national discourse down the slippery slope of infamy.
The current debate is exposing the weakness of the Senate Rules that only grant them the right to protect themselves and not to subject themselves to public scrutiny in the light of constitutional provisions that clearly spells out the processes upon which a senator may be suspended. The reaction of Natasha to her suspension has been dramatic as it has also drawn criticisms from a cross-section of Nigerians. Describing her suspension as an “injustice that can’t stand”, some are at quandary why the hallowed chamber is more interested in preserving the sanctity of the Senate than standing in solidarity with the Akpabio-led leadership of the Senate.
Fighting Old Horse
Taking into consideration the rules of the Senate that grant independence to the legislative arm to run its affairs without interference from external forces, the smoke of sexual allegations may not go away soon. Left in the cold by her female colleagues, including Senator Ireti Kingibe, who described Natasha as the most favoured of the female lawmakers in the Senate, the future is enveloped in threatening unpredictability over how the matter would be resolved amicably. No doubt, Natasha is a confirmed fighter whose determination and grit have seen her overcome some of her strongest political opponents, including former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. In attempting to silence her, the male-dominated chamber saw the defeat of Akpabio as that of the entire Senate.
There was not a whimper of opposition among her colleagues when the report of the Ethics Committee was tabled before the senators for adoption. Though the court has declared as an act of illegality any attempt by the Senate to suspend a senator, the coming days would turn out more challenging as Natasha is due to commence legal fireworks to question the legality of upholding the provision over the Nigerian constitution. This is not the first time the Senate is caught up in such an imbroglio as this. From available facts, Senator Arthur Nzeribe was the first to be suspended by his colleagues, but he quickly dismissed it and predicted that he would outlive his detractors whom he described as deploying political interest to settle scores.
In the midst of hunger and poverty ravaging the nation, it is most absurd that what is of interest today is the sexual harassment allegation that has become a noisome pestilence. Both parties in the controversy have their own baggage they must carry. If it is true that Natasha is venting out her anger against the Senate president due to her ouster as the chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, then, it is most despicable to whip up sentiments to prepare the way for someone to fall from his height of excellence to public ridicule. To understand the context under which the allegation is gaining media traction in both the social and traditional media, it is most saddening to allow the allegations to fester without attempting to put to rest and attain a final closure on the matter.
Senate Versus Public
Resolving the raging imbroglio tearing the country apart can only be possible when we ensure justice to all sides. Senator Natasha might have overstretched her luck far, but she must come to terms that there are acceptable limits. Now that she has been confined to the dustbin of history, the Kogi senator must abide by the rules of the Senate and galvanise like minds to find lasting solutions. The resort to Senate Rules in justifying past and present suspension of senators cannot be allowed to continue in the years to come.
Undoubtedly, Natasha’s suspension is akin to bruising the snake without necessarily killing it. If signals coming from the camp of the female senator are anything to go by, then, war is yet to start. If the ploy behind the sexual harassment allegation was to force Akpabio to step down from office, it was bound to fail. Senators must wean themselves of privileges that empower them for self-preservation even when they run against constitutional provisions. Fortunately, the proclivity by senators to protect themselves must be subjected to constitutional test in order to preserve the right of the minority over the mammoth crowd of leadership hailers.
