Leave Senate President Alone – Edo APC Women Urges Natasha
By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to stop the continuous harassment of Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio over allegation of sexual harassment.
The APC women gave the advice when they protested to the state secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) with different inscriptions, such as “Natasha Should Comport Herself And Apologize To Senate To Reduce Her Suspension”, “Natasha Is Not The Only Woman In The Senate:, “Women In Leadership Are Able To Handle Their Affairs Without Drawing Unnecessary Attention”, adding that the suspension of Natasha was not as a result of any sexual harassment, it is about the disobeying of the rules of the senate.
Recall that the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, (CSOs), Women Groups and Concerned Citizens of Edo State Tuesday, 11th March, protested to Edo State House of Assembly, Government House and the state secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists over an alleged case of sexual harassment against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the subsequent suspension Senator Natasha from the Nigerian Senate.
Reading from a protest letter, the Edo South Woman Leader, Hon. Itohan Osahon Edokpolo said the public should be well educated not to dabble into the affairs of the senate because in every organization there are rules that regulations guiding them and they have the right to implement the rules whichever way is suitable.
According to her, “our Women should equally comport themselves in a way and manner that will be respected by Men and shouldn’t bring out their waywardness to the public and radicle the dignity of other Women.
“Women in leadership are able to handle their affairs. We don’t need to be saying that Men will be in leadership, which is very wrong.
“Natasha is not the only woman in the Senate. There are other women who are there and they have been conpulting themselves in a responsible way, even the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu was in the Senate and all the years she spent there was never issues of sexual harassment. Likewise other women who were in the senate.”
Itohan Osahon Edokpolo noted: “This is the first time Senator Natasha is going to the Senate, she should not use her attitude to stop other women’s opportunity of coming to the senate.
“Natasha should compult herself and apologize to the Senate so that they can reduce her suspension to a minimum duration of what is allowed in the Senate rules.
“In Edo we do not encourage such things and we are people of tradition, our women are trained and our men are to comfort women in an orderly manner. So please no protest should be done in support of any irregularities or anything.”
In his response, the state chairman of NUJ, Comrade (Dr) Festus Alenkhe who received the protesters urged them to go about the protest peacefully and ensured hoodlums do not hijack the protest for their selfish interest.
He assured them that as the watch dog of the society, their information will be well reported to the general public.
