By Jane Okafor, Abuja
A political pressure group on the aegis of Action Collective (AC), has described the spurious allegation of budget padding levelled against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, as totally unfounded, fictious, grossly mischievous and cheap blackmail aimed at diverting attention from the core issues waiting and begging for investigation.
The group in a statement by its national coordinator, Teddy Onyejuwe, stressed that the attempt by Akpabio, to twist and misrepresent facts by accusing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of padding the budget of the Local Content Committee, which she used to chair is nothing, but mere diversionary tactics as against addressing the serious and dicey issues of alleged sexual harassment in addition to the obnoxious suspension that completely failed procedural process.
The Special Adviser to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Jeff Onyema had in a video released by News Central TV on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle, said that the reason behind Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged sexual harassment was as a result of her removal as the Chairman of the committee of Local Contents.
Onyema went ahead to accuse Akpoti-Uduaghan of padding the Local Content Committee under her chairmanship with N30 billion.
Reacting to the accusation, Action Collective said that the fact of her removal from the chairmanship of the Local Content Committee of the Senate was as a result of the five LNG projects approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for Kogi State which Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan influenced and was commissioned, a development that infuriated Akpabio and decided to remove her as chairman of the Committee as against the fictitious narrative that has no bearing with the budget of the committee, talk more of a padding that never took place.
The group said that rather than throwing aimless stones at Akpoti-Uduaghan with regards to a committee she is no longer chairing, the Senate President should concentrate and focus attention in addressing the sexual harassment allegation against him, adding that it is on record that the former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), equally accused Akpabio of same offence, asking, could it be a coincidence?
Onyejuwe further said that rather than addressing the procedural error adopted in suspending Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, particularly for refusal to follow laid down rules of the Senate, Akpabio openly displayed and was unable to control his emotions to get the vibrant Kogi Central senator out of his way thus, went against known and acceptable laws of the land.
In the words of Onyejuwe; “How can the highest lawmaking body in the country refused to obey a court order? The answer is simple, desperation.
“It is on record that Akpabio is known not to believe in following laid down procedures and processes. Let him tell Nigerians why he also moved and got Senator Abdul Ningi suspended? Was it not because of budget padding which were orchestrated by him and mainly located in his constituency”.
Action Collective stressed that since a new chairman of the Senate Local Content committee has been appointed, the cheap blackmail of Budget padding has no basis and link whatsoever with the germane issues at stake which are alleged sexual harassment, unacceptable and crude method adopted in the administration of the Senate.
“Certainly, the cheap blackmail does not, cannot and would not address the serious subject matter of sexual harassment accusation and the unjustified suspension that was deliberately orchestrated and aimed at tarnishing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s image.
Akpabio can also do better by gainfully engaging his aide, Jeff Onyema in constructive duties that would help alleviate the performance of his office as against turning him to an “attack dog” that likes barking even when there is no visible attacker.
