Akpabio-Natasha: ‘You can’t be a judge in your own case’, Nigeria’s female lawyers want an open probe
The Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum (NBAWF) is demanding accountability from the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora, urging them to undergo an open and transparent investigation into allegations of misconduct.
The chairperson of NBAWF, Barrister Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim made the call during a press briefing on Saturday, stressing that, ‘nobody should be a judge in his own matter’.
She added, “It is in the interest of both Senator Akpabio and Senator Natasha that the matter be investigated and determined one way or the other.
This will give opportunity for Senator Akpabio to clear his name and reputation and will also provide opportunity for Senator Natasha to prove her allegation.
“As the umbrella body of all female legal practitioners in Nigeria, NBAWF believes that every Nigerian citizen deserves the right to personal dignity, self-respect, and freedom from molestation, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
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See full statement below:
The Nigerian Bar Associa0on Women Forum (NBAWF) is deeply concerned about the allegations of inappropriate behaviour involving two Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Chairman of Local Contents of the Senate, Senator Natasha Uduaghan.
As the umbrella body of all female legal practitioners in Nigeria, NBAWF believes that every Nigerian citizen deserves the right to personal dignity, self-respect, and freedom from molestation, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is also our conviction that an allegation remains what it is until its veracity is established after due investigation. It is our understanding that for some reasons bordering on issues of technicality and procedure, the petitions submitted by Senator Uduaghan’s would not be considered by the Senate. It is our further understanding a fresh petition has been presented by the Senator.
The Forum has followed the developments surrounding the allegation with keen interest. It is our position that having regard to the circumstances of the allegation, the issues raised in Senator Uduaghan’s petitions deserve to be fully and properly investigated. It is our view that an allegation of sexual harassment ought not to be swept under the carpet without proper investigation carried out and shown to be justiably carried out.
Our fear is that the non-investigation of the allegation, if not reversed, is capable of setting a dangerous precedent which might have snowball effect on treatment of similar issues in the future.
It is our position that it is in the interest of both Senator Akpabio and Senator Natasha that the matter be investigated and determined one way or the other. This will give opportunity for Senator Akpabio to clear his name and reputation and will also provide opportunity for Senator Natasha to prove her allegation.
It is also our position that it is in the collective interest of the Senate to have the allegation transparently determined. This will ensure that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is not tainted with the brush of partisanship and bias.
This is necessary to affirm the commitment of the Senate to engendering a society where families will entertain no fear about possible molestation of women.
Having regard to the seriousness of the allegation and its implication for gender issues in Nigeria, we hereby call on the leadership of the National Assembly to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter, in accordance with the rules of the Senate.
Our goal at the NBAWF is to empower all women within the profession, by identifying and providing innovative solutions to key issues that affect female lawyers such as gender bias, gender pay gap, sexual harassment in the workplace, violence against women, gender parity in the workplace and more.
We have therefore established a Monitoring Committee to follow the proceedings and ensure that the outcome of the investigation is published in the interest of justice.
We count on the leadership of the parliament to ensure that the Senate remains a conducive environment where all individuals, regardless of gender, are treated with respect and dignity.
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