By Wilson Adekumola
Groups of South-South Women under the aegis of South-South Women Compatriots, have called on the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu, to back out from his alleged backing of Senator Godswill Akpabio, for the position of Senate President, saying that they would stage a naked protest if their request is not granted within seven days.
The groups’ spokesperson, Dr Imma Ubong, laid this threat while reading from a prepared text, at a media briefing in Abuja, on Monday.
She said, “We the South South Women Compatriots, made up of 60 percent women in the country are here to state why Godswill Akpabio shouldn’t be the President of the Senate.
“We are giving the President-elect, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and others seven days to reverse their decision on Akpabio if it is true that they are the ones behind him, or we will protest naked on the streets of Abuja to drive home our demand. Your Excellency, please hearken to our plea.
“We the Nigerian women find it disheartening that the name of the President-elect will be peddled as having endorsed Akpabio.
“We dont want to believe that his silence means consent. The President as a matter of urgency must come out to dissociate himself from this Akpabio.
“Former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joy Nunieh, once claimed that she slapped the Godswill Akpabio, for sexually assaulting her, this news was all over the world.
“Today, the former President of the USA, Donald Trump is facing the same charges and it has seriously dented the USA. We the Nigerian women will never allow the image of the country to be dented like the USA.
“We cannot support a man who has the penchant for sexually harassing women to occupy such an exalted position as the No 3 man in the country.
“Akpabio should submit himself to the Economy And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), like other politicians, who have done so in the past, and who were later jailed or set free. The bottom line was that they were able to clear their names.
“Politicians like Femi Fani-Kayode and others accused by the EFCC, are free today because they were able to prove before the anti-graft agency that they were innocent, why is Akpabio not doing same and why is he running away from EFCC?
“Such person with baggages of corruption allegations has no business in the National Assembly talkless of heading such a place where laws are made for the generality of the country.”
Akpabio had severally denied Ms. Nuneh’s allegations of sexual harassment.
Reports revealed that the EFCC had asked Mr Akpabio to “personally report” to the anti-graft agency on 9 May.
This was contained in the EFCC follow-up letter, dated 13 April, to Mr Akpabio through his lawyer, Umeh Kalu, SAN.
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State, had been invited by EFCC in March, however, Mr Kalu, in a letter to the commission dated 27 March, said his client would not be able to honour the invitation due to a scheduled medical appointment overseas.
