Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate. Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh.
By Anietie Akpan
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of the Senate. Rt Hon Eseme Eyiboh, has taken a swipe on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, saying raising the issue of sexual harassment is a deliberate attempt by her to hoist a flag of self pity thereby undermining the rule of law.
He said for coming up with the issue of Sexual harassment is an afterthought, a smokescreen and a diversionary strategy to cover up her unruly actions in the hallowed chamber of the Senate which is a flagrant breach of the law with impunity.
While appearing on TVC News and AIT KAKAAKI television programmes on March 2 and 3 respectively on the issue of sexual harassment Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised against the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio days after the altercation in the senate, Eyiboh said “Akpabio is a very strong family man to the extent that if you get close to him you will want to get back for lessons on how to manage a family. He loves his wife, children and his name but because of the generosity of his heart, and acts and his human personality people take it for granted . We are living in a society where perception has dominated reality”.
He said that the subject matter here is sexual harassment and “where did it take place. Recall Senator Natasha never at anytime raised the issue of sexual harassment until her appearance on Arise television platform.
“She went to court and the issue of sexual harassment was not part of her claim . She has never written any petition to the police or any law enforcement agency . She has not even informed the senate knowing too well that she has the opportunity by the provision of order 10 which borders on privileges.
“She did not even inform her own husband by her own account that she never told her husband . Somebody who is sexually harassed is usually distressed and one would expect that a harassed person the first thing he or she would do is to raise an alarm”.
Eyiboh who was a former lawmaker in the House of Representatives pointed out that Senator Akpoti-Udughan is full of contradictions as in Atise television she said she never brought the husband in on the alleged issue of sexual harassment and in this case she was keeping it from the husband and this is somebody who was distressed and on the other hand the husband claimed she informed him. This is a contradiction between them.
On the issue of traveling abroad, “She also said that the husband said she should not travel outside the country and she also said that she has never been allowed to travel outside the country yet she did a personal selfie , took a photograph in Geneva during the international parliamentary union meeting”, Eyiboh said adding that, “she was part of the Nigerian delegation yet she said she is not allowed to travel outside the country. Travel to where? The Nigerian senate sits in Abuja, Nigeria except she is desirous of going for the Oscars or Grammies
“Where is all of these originating from? It is because of the compliance to the standing order of the senate and is it binding on all senators? Section 60 of the constitution empowers the National Assembly to make for itself body of rules and regulations to guide its proceedings?
“That is the origin of the standing order and somebody woke up and do otherwise . Section 2 sub 2 is clear that the senate president shall exercise his discretion on the issue of seat allocation . Section 11 sub 3 says when once there is a defection and in this case there were defections, a seat adjustment or rearrangement will take place . Remember when Senator Ned Nwoko and one other senator defected to the APC there was need for that readjustment and senator Natasha’s seat was not the only seat rearranged.
“The rearrangement took place and so many seats were rearranged . Even Senator Ireti Kingibe said she has been affected four times so why is this particular case the issue that is bringing down the roof”.
According to Eyiboh, she had complained that she was changed from the committee of local content to the committee on Diaspora and “You know this mentality of juicier committee, so she felt that local content is juicier probably because of association with international oil companies (IOCs) and to ask you now to go to diaspora that she does not even understand what it’s all about and in fact it is in that diaspora that she will be traveling abroad the way she expects”.
In this regards, Eyiboh stated, “on this issue we are talking about, people are talking about sexual harassment as raised by Natasha and nobody is talking about enforcement of the law. What Natasha did on the floor of the Senate is it what is expected of a distinguished senator? Remember the word distinguished connotes decorum, integrity, elegance . Will you consider that unruly behaviour as an outcome of someone thousands of people voted for or who came to the senate through any means, is elected. So the word distinguished there is an explanation placed on it. I expect the society to interrogate why she conducted herself in that manner”.
However, he said the senate has referred the matter to Ethics and Privileges committee because a Senator rose on the order. “We should be talking about fairness in the conduct of the proceedings in the ethics and privileges committee but nobody is talking about it.
“Somebody should also be saying something to serve as deterrent to potential offenders to the law . This is a National Assembly which section 4 sub 1 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended has empowered the legislative with the legislative powers of Nigeria and such action (by Senator Natasha) is not seen to be anything wrong and people are celebrating in the streets talking about sexual harassment . Sexual harassment where, is the matter in court, is it before the police or has she even gone to exercise her privilege to take it to the senate?
“In all of these, the only way to protect the institution is the enforcement of the law . If the law says don’t do this irrespective of who you are there is penalty or consequences in every breach of the law. The intention of the law by its provisions is not out there to punish anybody but to serve as deterrent, so I expect for the sect of the word distinguished, for Senator Natasha to submit herself to the ethics and privileges committee .
“She has asked for a life telecast I don’t know at whose cost? But it can’t be because she is involved. There is a specific day of the week that the proceedings of the senate, the plenary is usually televised live and I am not aware of any committee or ethics and privileges that you now ask for live telecast. She is trying to hoist a flag of self pity and as an institution we cannot submit ourselves to that and she cannot benefit from it. Flags of fantasies are usually exhibited by persons who have failed to subject themselves to law and order, especially decorum” .
While advising her, he said, “Dr Ngozi Iwela never weaponized on feminism to become the Director General of World Trade Organization (WHO). The Chief Justice of Nigeria today through learning, character and decorum has risen to a point that she is the Chief Justice of Nigeria not because she is a woman, she never weaponized it. So I advise that we should stop making the gender issue the issue that will divide us.
“We are husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, so the issue of an individual coming up to stoke this fire is very unfortunate on gender issue is very unfortunate. Let us be aware now that this is the most friendly senate when it comes to gender sensitivity . The senator from Lagos state, a lady is the Chairman of the Senate Candidate on Humanitarian Affairs, the Chairman on Health Services, a lady, is distinguished Senator Banigo from Rivers state , the Chairman of Women Affairs, a lady, is distinguished Senator Ireti Kingibe from the FCT, Senator Natasha is the Chairman on Diaspora”
On the comment attributed to former Senate President, Senator Bukola Sarki that the Senate President should resign, Eyiboh said, “it is very sad and unfortunate. First there is a forum of former and serving senate presidents which he is a member and if he feels concerned, about any of the public issues the first thing rightly he ought to have done would have been to put a call through to the incumbent and give his own advice because that is what state-men do.
“There have been series of governance and policy issues going on in this country like the withdrawal of petroleum subsidy, tax reforms bills and these are things that affect the country. You I never heard him said anything and I don’t know where he was, suddenly emerging now to say Akpabio should step down for investigation”.
Eyiboh recalled that when Senator Bukola Sarki was President of the Senate, he was linked with the issue of Offa robbery incident that over 30 policemen were killed and millions of money were lost, banks were raided and all of that, and the police issued a press release and invited the then Senate president , Bukola Sarki to appear and he never stepped down and he was still the president of the Senate .
“He appeared before the code of conduct tribunal and he was in the duck, he never stepped down . He never showed example after all and this a case that investigation was going on and the police kept parading the gentlemen and they were all said to have associated with him. Whether it was politically motivated or not , whether it was falsely or wrongly, he ought to have stepped down to allow investigation . He is not the person to now begin to come out first to propose the issue of stepping down and secondly, as former senate president he should have avelled himself the status of a statesman by getting in touch with the leadership of the senate to find out or understand the facts that were involved .
“And in this case whatever he is saying, in my mind, is deep in malice and intended in anyway to create more confusion and do a hype because it is Akpabio and because he is a South South. If Akpabio were not to be from South South he would not make that comment but it’s unfortunate that is not going to work because there is no race here to be preserved”.
The former lawmaker submitted, “Senator Godswill Akpabio is a man of positive history and he should be allowed to do his job and function very well. This is the most stabilized and most focused senate. And his crime of coming from South South, the minority side was not by history of choice but by nature and they should allow nature to prevail”.
