Natasha/Akpabio: “His victims are all from the North”, Group alleges

In lending its voice to the ongoing saga between the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan, a group known as Growth and Development of Northern Nigeria (GDNN) has alleged that all victims of Akpabio in the 10th Assembly have been northerners.

It said before Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan were those of late Senator Nuhu Aliyu, DIG (rtd), Sen. Ali Ndume and Sen. Abdul Ningi who were all ruthlessly dealt with in a manner that was most unpleasant, but pleasing to the self-serving Senate Presidents and their “Vanguards”.

However, it said the group does not believe the statement allegedly made by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan at the UN Women Assembly that she is being persecuted because she’s a “woman”, noting that what is happening is a pattern of recklessness and impunity by leaders who should show good examples to the citizens but have failed to do so.

For this reason, it has called out the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, over silence on the application of provisions of “Rules” of the Senate, and legal advice of a wrong doing.

In a media briefing yesterday in Abuja where critical objectives of the group were enumerated for the development of the northern region, Caretaker Chairman of GDNN, Abdullahi Ibrahim Halilu, said the office of the Senate President is systematically being degraded and reduced to one that believes in use of fist to address serious national issues even where laws exist to address them.

He said it is imperative to understand that this pattern of behaviour in the National Assembly was undermining democracy and rule of law which the National Assembly is the engine room and the design theatre.

He emphasised that all Senators whose rights have been abused to date by the same or previous Senate Presidents and their “Vanguards” are from the North and care and caution must be exercised in display of reckless abuse of executive privilege as it has consequential repercussions.

He said, “The GDNN is concerned that the third most important office of our country is systematically being degraded and reduced to one that believes in use of fist to address serious national issues even where laws exist to address them.

“We are all aware of the controversy surrounding the issue of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, where serious accusations were made by the Senator against the Senate President, which has been swept under the carpet.

“We at the GDNN are appalled and concerned that Senators now have no rights to speak up or out on issues that are done wrongly but are classified as “Rules Violators” and are quickly dispensed of using “Suspension” as a tool to weed out such “irritants” in the opinion of the few that have constituted themselves in the Senate as the “Vanguards” of the serving “Senate President” and not the Office itself.

“We are further concerned that the “Rules” of the Senate Chamber is today superior to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that created INEC that conducted elections to constitute the composition of the Senate.

“We are further concerned that the Senate has appropriated to itself the rights of the constituencies that elected each of them to recall, suspend or even remove completely any erring Senator through imposition of the application of provisions of “Rules” of the Senate to carry out such penalties on duly elected Senators without any legal advice of a wrong doing on its side by the Honourable Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation.

“The wrongs allegedly committed by the serving Senate President cannot be challenged or investigated. It is indeed the duty of the Minister of Justice to initiate the investigation with a view to establishing the truth of the allegation or otherwise.

“He too has distanced himself from the entire subject and by extension claiming it has nothing to do with him. Before the Senator Natasha case there were those of late Senator Nuhu Aliyu DIG (rtd), Senator Ali Ndume and Senator Abdul Ningi all ruthlessly dealt with in a manner that was most unpleasant to us as Northern Nigerians and pleasing to the serving Senate Presidents and their “Vanguards”.

Other issues discussed at the briefing include the proposed Queen Amina University in Kaduna, the tightening of cash ratio by the Central Bank governor, rules concerning money laundering, and a host of many others.