By Deborah Coker
The Executive Watchdog, a public accountability and governance advocacy group, has cautioned, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against trivialising the issues between her and Senate President, Godswil Akpabio.
Natashia Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is locked in a conflict with Akpabio over alleged sexual advances, recently issued a public statement in which she satirically `apologised` to the Senate leader.
Mr Fidelis Ella, spokesperson for the group, at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday described the publication as recklessly designed to undermine the office of the President of the Senate.
Ella criticised Akpoti-Uduaghan for what he called as “a calculated abuse of public trust, where serious criminal allegations are converted into tools of political spectacle rather than subjected to lawful investigation”.
According to him, rather than report her allegations of sexual harassment to law enforcement or seek judicial remedy, Akpoti-Uduaghan routed her complaint to the Nigerian Senate, an institution which has no criminal jurisdiction.
‘’She abandoned due process and resorted to a media blitz when her political stunt failed to gain traction.
“Akpoti-Uduaghan’s consistent preference for rumour over evidence, and media outrage over legal process, reveals a profound misunderstanding of the responsibilities attached to her office.
“Her conduct diminishes the dignity of the senate and betrays the trust placed on her by her constituents.
“At a time when Nigeria requires disciplined, fact-driven leadership, Akpoti-Uduaghan instead offers drama, innuendo, and political self-sabotage disguised as advocacy.
‘’Her satirical letter is not resistance; it is a confession of her disregard for evidence, institutions, and democratic responsibility,’’ he said.
He said that her latest outburst, couched in a satire, followed a well-documented pattern of frivolous and reckless accusations.
One of such, he said, was the claim that the Senate President and former Gov. Yahaya Bello plotted her assassination.
Ella said public office holders should lead by example, adding that public confidence in democracy could not survive when elected officials treat truth and due process with flippancy.
(NAN)