If I'm Senator Godswill Akpabio

President Bola Tinubu's administration is not about cleaning up Nigeria. I don't think he bothers about corruption in any form and the need to clean Nigeria of it. It seems the more the nation is corrupt the easier it becomes for him to rule. He is like Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, the man he took his certificate of election to as soon as he was given by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. If Tinubu is about building Nigeria and not just spending eight years and running away thanking his stars like others before him, the current issue of sexual harassment alleged by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would have been seized as one to build a solid convention in our nation.

Nigerians now know that young and beautiful Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan bursted out in the midst of a senate meeting refusing to take a seat allotted to her. She later went to Arise Television to give more details about what led her to take that course of action. She had been making effort to present a motion to get the Senate to discuss the crucial issue of corruption at Ajaokuta Steel Complex which is located in her constituency in Kogi State. But as she alleged, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio will not allow her table the matter except he has his way with her. She had attempted to table the bill five times.

Since she took the case to Arise Television and a court suing Godswill Akpabio for sexual harassment from which she wants 100 billion naira from the senate president. Responding to Natasha, Mrs Akpabio filed a counter suit in which she slammed a 250 billion naira charge as damages against her. Since the case became public, one of the female senators, Ireti Kingibe has taken up battle with Natasha Akpoti. According to Kingibe, the distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti had never discussed her experience in sexual harassment with her female colleagues in the Senate. Maybe Senator Ireti Kingibe thinks the issue of sexual harassment is one that must be discussed in the market place. A discussant at Seun Okinbaloye's Channels Television life programme, Politics Tonight, who lives in the United States of America, Stella Okengwu said the issue of sexualizing women is so prevalent in Nigeria, affecting over ninety percent of the women folk in the nation who usually would not want to raise the issue with their husbands. She said she had been affected in the course of travels to Nigeria for business.

The male colleagues of Senator Natasha Akpoti also seem to have mounted great war against her. One of them is Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Senator representing Ekiti East and the spokesperson of the Senate who seem to want to have a personal fight with Natasha Akpoti. Others of her male colleagues have made spurious allegations against the fighting Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. One alleged she had once accused former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi of sexual harassment. Later Fayemi issued a statement that nothing like that ever happened. Another charged the lady senator of having "six children for six different men," all attempts to weaken her resolve to keep up the battle. The Senate Ethics Committee ruled that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan brought her petition in a wrong way to the Chamber. She shouldn't have signed the petition by herself; somebody else should have done that for her and that person should have done the presentation for her. Senator Yemi Adaramodu said that is the procedure. If that is it, then that procedure has to be jettisoned in this case and perhaps amended to allow a petitioner to both sign and present his or her petition. In matters pertaining to sexual harassment allegation it is very likely that an affected person will get another person to help out as required. Sexual activities are not done in the open for others to witness and those who sexually harass don't shoutout from the rooftop. It seems the men in the Senate and some of their female colleagues who are probably jealous of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for her youthfulness and her beauty are ganging up against her. One of them alleged that she had had more favour from the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio more than any other female in the house. That may be true but maybe that is because of what Akpabio thought he could get from the embattled senator that other older females cannot offer by reason of age.

Even if President Tinubu will not make any move, we the people must demand a neutral probe comprising of people within and outside the Senate must be set up to dig deep into the allegations raised by Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan. Nigeria must be cleaned up of corruption not just the monetary corruption to which the Tinubu administration is not paying any attention but also the issue of immorality. Our current senators are likely not to want any public exposure because it may open up a can of worms, leading to many other women coming up to make similar allegations against other men in the Senate. There are many people who think little about sexual harassment but if our women must be delivered and emboldened to take part in politics, this ought to be used as an example leading up to a law that will punish sexual harrasment in any form severely. Our legislative houses must be given a reputation as places where such must not take place. Sexual immorality affects all aspects of people's life. A sexually corrupt man or woman will most likely also steal. There is a high connection between sexual immorality and monetary corruption.

This allegation must not be allowed to be wiped off by Nigeria's tribal division. Already hired crowd from Akwa-Ibom have been seen protesting on behalf of Akpabio fearing he might lose that seat. They are obviously paid hirelings. The Akwa-Ibom women should know that if actually Godswill Akpabio is guilty of the allegations levelled against him, he will not serve them well and another man or woman from another place might serve them better. What must concern all Nigerians must be the good service they get from those they elect to serve them. The issue must not also be reduced to religion. It is a shame for any church organization to queue behind a Christian who had been alleged to be involved in sexual harassment or any infraction. He or she must first prove his innocence, then the Church will congratulate him or her. The Church in Nigeria is so much enmeshed in corruption that the Church queueing behind Akpabio without letting the probe run its course is cause for concern. Akpabio himself must defend his integrity. Denying as he had done on the floor of the Senate is not enough. The reference he made to an award given him for being a gender-friendly governor in his years as governor of Akwa-Ibom State is not enough alibi to establish his innocence. In Nigeria most of those awards are traded. Akpabio must immediately step down or step aside to allow someone else take charge of the Senate until the allegation is cleared or upheld. If he is cleared he will have done more to contribute to integrity in the nation and he would have built a pattern of accurate behavior in the Chamber. He will be acknowledged as a great leader by Nigerians who may beckon on him for a higher service in the future. If Akpabio knows the allegation is true, he should demonstrate by acknowledging his sin and asking Nigerians to forgive him. He may lose face today but he would have contributed to building a disciplined Nigeria. He would have encouraged many men to come out of the entrapment of sexual harassment. I'm sure women also will hail him. But if he knows the allegation is untrue, he should still step aside and let somebody else take charge so that there will be transparency in the entire investigation. I'm sure the senate president is a Christian. May I remind him that the Bible demands of adherents of faith not only to be honest before God but also honest before men. Using politics or gathering fellow senators to cower Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan or using legality to muddle up the process may work before men but will not before God to which all men must ultimately return and give account. Already Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been suspended for six months by the Senate. Reacting to her suspension, the embattled senator remarked that: ‘This injustice cannot be sustained.” Lastly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan once said Akpabio showed her a chapel in his house, which means Akpabio is a man of prayer. On this account, Akpabio should do what is right before God, if he wants God to continue to answer his prayers.

Tunde Akande is both a journalist and pastor. He earned a Master's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos