As Senate resumes, Akpabio denies sexual harassment, Natasha submits petition

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

He spoke at the resumption of plenary in the Senate, after a week’s recess.

Senator Akpabio said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.”

The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse, urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from drawing conclusions and instead await the court’s decision on the matter.

However, immediately after his remarks, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised a petition under Order 40, accusing the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office.

She requested permission to step forward and formally lay the petition before the chamber.

The Senate subsequently referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, directing it to review the matter as soon as practicable.

The controversy started in February when a seat rearrangement led to a confrontation between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate President.

This led to the allegation of sexual harassment by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, and raising fresh concerns about decorum and conduct within the legislative body.

On Wednesday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at the Senate Chamber in the company with her husband.

She shared a brief kiss with her husband before proceeding into the chamber to take her seat.

However, she refused to stand on the arrival of Akpabio for the commencement of plenary.

Police fire tear gas at Natasha supporters

Police officers fired tear gas to prevent supporters of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from accessing the National Assembly Complex on Wednesday.

The protesters had converged on the National Assembly gate as early as 8am ahead of resumption of plenary.

They carried placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘Akpabio must go’, ‘Protect women’s rights’, and ‘Protect Natasha at all costs’.

The police moved in swiftly, firing tear gas cannisters at them.

The crowd later moved to the Unity Fountain.

I lost Lagos governorship election because of Peter Obi – Jandor

The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has claimed that he would have won the election if not for Peter Obi’s victory in the presidential poll in the state.

Obi was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

According to Jandor, Obi’s victory altered the political dynamics against the PDP ahead of the governorship election, which was held weeks later.

He made this statement on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Jandor explained that the governorship race was a two-horse contest before the presidential election, but Obi’s win reshaped voters’ expectations.

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“The 2023 election came with its dynamics, and it was a two-horse race until the presidential election. If you look at what happened in the presidential election, Peter Obi came first (in Lagos), Asiwaju came second, and Atiku came third.

“The moment that happened, there was this belief that if we do this, we can get this state off XYZ. So, we were victims of that,” he said.

“Each time I address my people, I tell them: look, we did everything but that wave came and swallowed the whole thing; nobody saw that coming,” he added.

Jandor eventually lost the governorship election, securing 62,449 votes and finishing third.

The incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won 762,134 votes, while Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour came second with 312,329 votes.

On Monday, Jandor announced his resignation from the PDP, citing growing indiscipline and widespread anti-party activities within the party.

He specifically accused some PDP leaders, including former Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George, of working against the party during the 2023 elections.

I lost Lagos governorship election because of Peter Obi – Jandor

Tinubu’s 2027 Ambition: APC already has candidate, insists Orji Kalu

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has declared that President Bola Tinubu must complete two terms in office, insisting the All Progressives Congress (APC) has only one presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

“Well, in our party, we have only one presidential candidate now. And Tinubu has to do eight years. You can see the repairs he has done to the economy, and things are starting to pick up again,” Kalu said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

The Senator representing Abia North and former Abia State governor also emphasised the need for an Igbo president but ruled out 2027 as a possibility.

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“I am not going to discuss anything about the Igbo presidency. But I still tell you there is a need for it,” he said.

“The Igbo must present an acceptable candidate to all Nigerians. No one zone can make a president. President Tinubu was not elected by the Yoruba. He was elected by all Nigerians.”

He further noted that while Tinubu has not personally declared his intention to run for re-election, the APC leadership has already endorsed him.

“This president is not even doing politics. He has never told anybody he wants to run for election or not. But as a party, we have mandated him to run and given him a vote of confidence,” Kalu said.

According to him, the National Executive Committee (NEC) reaffirmed its support for Tinubu’s leadership, with a motion moved by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and announced by APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

“So, things cannot just get better in one night,” Kalu added.

Tinubu’s 2027 Ambition: APC already has candidate, insists Orji Kalu