The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere has urged the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and security agencies to investigate claims made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, following her six-month suspension by the Senate.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Afenifere’s National Organising Secretary, Otunba Kole Omololu, said that while the group welcomes the Senate’s decision to lift Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, it does not absolve the senator of her allegations.
“Restoring her does not mean we should put all her claims behind us without subjecting them to judicial interpretation,” Omololu said.
The group expressed concern about Akpoti-Uduaghan’s accusations of sexual harassment against Akpabio, noting the implications for Nigeria’s international image.
“It is an issue of national interest that should not be reduced to the politics of divergent interests,” the statement read. Omololu called on the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to “look deeper into all claims Natasha made both locally and internationally to unearth the truth.”
Afenifere highlighted that Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously made sexual harassment claims against former presidential spokesman Reno Omokri, which were settled out of court.
“Does this not suggest that, without proof, her allegations against Akpabio are suspicious?” Omololu said.
The statement also referenced Akpoti-Uduaghan’s public remarks, in which she described Akpabio as a “dictator,” urging Nigerians to consider the absence of evidence more than six months after her claims.
The group questioned her international engagement, particularly her participation in a session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in New York, calling for clarity on whether her attendance was officially sanctioned.
“If Natasha truly participated in the IPU meeting without due nomination, then it simply revealed her compromise or manipulation of our public institutions for pecuniary ends,” Omololu said.
Afenifere stressed that lifting Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension without resolving these questions could validate her allegations globally. The group cited international precedent, referencing British MP Keith Vaz, who faced suspension and permanent banishment for making false accusations, as a comparison.
The statement added: “As an organisation that believes in fairness and justice, we call on security agencies to resolve all these questions to unearth the truth and prevent the recurrence of actions that undermine our collective interest.”
