The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum has dismissed the sexual harassment allegations made against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling them a manufactured script by opposition political parties.
The Forum also raised concerns about a supposed plot to destabilize the administration of President Bola Tinubu and disrupt law and order in the Federal Capital Territory.
This statement follows the ‘Akpabio Must Go’ protests held on Wednesday in parts of the National Assembly and the FCT, where supporters of Akpoti-Uduaghan demanded the Senate President’s resignation pending an investigation into the allegations.
The protesters, who began gathering at the National Assembly gates at 8:00 a.m., carried placards such as “Akpabio Must Go” and “Protect Women’s Rights,” calling for accountability and an investigation into the allegations.
In response, the North-Central APC Forum issued a statement through its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC presidential campaign council for the 2023 elections. The Forum accused the protesters of being mobilized to create unrest in the FCT. The statement warned that security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, should be on high alert for attempts to incite chaos.
The APC Forum gave the protesters a 24-hour ultimatum to vacate the streets, threatening to mobilize its supporters to counter any disturbances if the protests continued. “We are, by this statement, giving the protesters and their sponsors 24 hours to vacate the streets of the FCT,” the statement read. “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.”
The Forum further claimed that the allegations against Akpabio were part of a larger political agenda to undermine the Senate President and discredit the APC government. The statement stressed that there was no evidence supporting the accusations of sexual harassment and pointed out that Akpoti-Uduaghan had not raised the issue until she faced an investigation by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges for a breach of Senate rules.
The APC Forum questioned Akpoti-Uduaghan’s timing, asking whether she would have remained silent on the matter had she not been referred to the committee. “Does it mean that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would have kept silent on the purported sexual harassment if Senate President Godswill Akpabio had not referred her to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges?” the statement asked.
The Forum praised Akpabio’s leadership of the National Assembly, highlighting the positive relationship between the executive and legislature under his guidance, which has allowed the Tinubu administration to pursue 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 Tinubu,” the statement continued.
The North-Central APC Forum also called on the Senate and the National Assembly not to be distracted by the actions of Akpoti-Uduaghan, whom they accused of seeking to destabilize the system for political gain. “We urge all members of our party and well-meaning Nigerians to rise up against this sinister plot,” the Forum stated.
While Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan represents Kogi Central Senatorial District in the North-Central region, the APC Forum made it clear that they do not support her actions. “Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is from our zone, but as stakeholders of the North-Central, we disown her actions,” the Forum concluded.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday during plenary, Senate President Akpabio denied the sexual harassment allegations, stating that he had never harassed any woman. Earlier, Akpoti-Uduaghan had submitted a petition to the Senate, but the Senate had initially stated it would not investigate the matter as no formal petition had been received against Akpabio.
