By STACEY UKAOBASI ONWUEGBUCHULAM

For over fourteen straight days, Nigerians all over the globe have read and heard about a sensational sexual harassment accusation as the number one news topic and this inevitable visibility of this apparently pervasive social vice in Nigeria, gained higher attention because of the heavyweights of the accuser Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing a Senatorial zone in Kogi State and the accused who is the Senate President and former governor of the crude oil rich Akwa Ibom State: Senator Godswill Akpabio. Senator Akpabio, it must be stated has openly repudiated this sexual harassment allegation, but he presided over the Senate plenary which rejected on two occasions, the attempts by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to table her sexual harassment allegation which she reduced into a petition. Some observers have faulted the procedure whereby an accused sat over the legislative session in which the sexual harassment allegation was a subject of heated debate. It is the opinion of these people that it is unjust and unfair for such a scenario to have been allowed to play out in a law making body that ought to be aware of the implication of fairness as enshrined in section 36(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999, as amended.

The controversy surrounding the sensational allegation of sexual harassment took a life of its own because of the nature of how the allegation was made in a celebrated early morning network television programme in one of Nigeria?s most famous televisions: Arise TV.

My intervention on this brouhaha is neither for Natasha nor for Akpabio but basically, I?m here to adumbrate the generally well-known fact that sexual harassment is a menace and has always been a hydraheaded monster in the Nigerian moral/ethical fabric for quite some time.

It is a commonplace phenomenon that hundreds of thousands of girls face sexual harassment daily either in their schools whereby some ethically wrecked lecturers demand sex for marks or in the places of employment whereby potential employers dangle the demand of sexual gratification for a slot of employment in both the private and public sectors.

As a child rights activist who started human rights activism long before I relocated to the USA, I have a firsthand knowledge of how so extensive and deeply rooted this social malaise of sexual harassment has become in Nigeria and for a prolonged period of time and without any profound effort by the government at both the federal and state levels to confront this moral decadence in the Country.

It is therefore exciting for us Nigerian women who live abroad to see that this moral decadence of sexual harassment which many girls have faced over the years and still goes on as I write, reverberated from the topmost level of government which is the National Assembly and our expectation is that the allegation shouldn?t be swept under the carpets of impunity but should get widespread and conclusive investigation.

There is also the need for these brazen attacks on the sexuality rights of most girls and ladies to be legally confronted. Those who hold positions of authority either in the private or public spheres who abuses their powers by demanding for sexual gratification from female members of the Nigerian society who come before them for one official reason or the other, are strongly sanctioned administratively and legally.

Besides, I wish to state here without any fear of contradiction or equivocation that as a woman, I also faced sexual harassment whilst living in my country. Also, only about few months back, when I returned to Nigeria after over a decade, to set up my film making initiative with my first film.

The story Is that, when I came into Nigeria with the plan to record or rather Premier my first movie in Enugu, whilst arrangements were being initiated, I travelled to my home state of Abia state to visit family members who live in my ancestral town of Umuahia. It was whilst in Umuahia that I ran into an old friend who said he has an appointment to meet with the newly inaugurated governor of Abia state Dr Alex Oti. We got talking and I narrated my reason for visiting Nigeria.

He immediately suggested that as someone who is from Umuahia, it would be so unfair if I premiered my first movie in Enugu when I could simply use the opportunity to put Umuahia in the global map of films. He then said he has the highest contacts with the Abia State government and that he will get the ministry of tourism to be interested in my movie. As soon as he saw that I had already agreed with him and moved my team into Umuahia from Enugu, the so called friend started pestering me and seeking to meet me at my hotel room,it was such a shock because he is aware that I didn?t want any funding support. When he noticed that I resisted his sexual harassment which became very persistent, and so irritating he and his team decided to frustrate the filming of that movie but I still went ahead with my project, but I was very scared throughout my 2 weeks stay in Umuahia.

The truth Is that I wasn?t going to get in touch with the Abia state tourism agency for any sort of financial assistance because I came into Nigeria prepared with the financial resources to meet up the cost of premiering my first movie, but I was excited to be filming in my own state. If this can happen to me who is not looking for any favour, you can imagine what many girls seeking for jobs or favours go through in the hands of persons heading strategic offices in Nigeria.

So you can imagine how I felt when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan brought this sexual harassment allegation to the front burner of public conversations. I truly became disappointed that the Senate rather than subject the allegation to the most credible process of investigation, but chose to compel the accuser to shut up just as the Senate issued some of the strongest sanctions against one of them only because she had the courage to speak out about sexual harassment and then the person being accused is one of the most powerful politicians in contemporary Nigeria.

Whilst I acknowledge the obvious fact that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has opted to seek legal reprieve, it is very disappointing that some female senators both serving and retired, rallied round the powerful Senate president in his defence against their fellow woman. This is why I?m very excited reading the lengthy intervention on this matter published by the former first lady of Ekiti state and a human rights activist Mrs. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi.

Specifically, Dr (Mrs) Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi the wife of former governor of Ekiti State said: ?To all the women who have publicly taken a position against Senator Natasha, I have news for you. You are not fighting the same battle as most of the male Senators or the men around us who have also aired their views. You are not on the same page, you are not even reading the same book. If it was just about Senator Natasha following the rules and not disrupting the space for women in politics, the problem can be easily fixed. I am sure if Senator Natasha takes the time to familiarise herself with Senate rules and proceedings (assuming she has not done so already) this will make her work in the Senate more productive.

However, this is not what is at play here. What is happening is a full-scale war on women in public life, with clear lines drawn. Women need to wake up! We need to do battle with the powerful forces that want women to keep being silent in the face of provocation and abuse, those who have a penchant for using women against women and those who dangle carrots and sticks while we dance and perform for them?.

Also, a respected lawyer, Mr. Douglas Ogbankwa Esq, writing on the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that: ?The law now is that a Legislative House cannot suspend a member of the House, as doing so would deny their constituents representation, which is enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended). The relationship between a member of the House and the House itself is not a master-servant relationship; rather, the member is a representative of their people. Their membership in the House is guaranteed by the Constitution, not by any individual or group within the House. Therefore, any House rule that contradicts the Constitution is null and void to the extent of its inconsistency with the Constitution. The legislator?s representation is a constitutional guarantee, and any House rule must be subordinate to the Constitution.

?Therefore, it is my firm contention that it is unconstitutional and illegal for any legislative house to impose an indefinite suspension on a member. Such actions are a gross violation of the la,ws of the land and the Nigerian Constitution?.

It is gratifying to note that several powerful civil society organizations in Nigeria have voiced their opposition and displeasure at the attempt by the hierarchy of the Senate to swept this huge allegation of sexual harassment allegation under the carpet.

For the avoidance of doubts, I want to restate that I?m excited that the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) had strongly condemned the six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate, describing it as illegal, unconstitutional, and undemocratic.

In a statement, CISLAC?s Executive Director, Auwal Rafsanjani, criticized the Senate?s decision, asserting that it undermines democracy and legislative independence.

According to Rafsanjani, the suspension directly violates the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and sets a dangerous precedent for legislative governance.

?This action is unconstitutional and legally baseless,? he stated, citing Sections 68 and 69 of the 1999 Constitution, which outline the lawful processes for a legislator to lose their seat.

?Section 68(1) & (2) makes it clear that a legislator?s seat can only be declared vacant under specific conditions such as resignation, defection, conviction, or recall by constituents through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Section 69 further emphasizes that the recall process is the only constitutional means of removing an elected legislator,? he explained.

Rafsanjani added that by suspending Senator Natasha, the Senate has effectively denied the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District their right to representation?an act he described as an abuse of power.

CISLAC expressed concerns over the potential international fallout of the Senate?s decision, warning that it could damage Nigeria?s democratic reputation.

?This action has legitimized attacks on freedom of expression, encouraged intimidation, and institutionalized sexual harassment in public spaces,? Rafsanjani said.

I totally agree with the well-rounded submission of CISLAC and to conclude this presentation by calling on the Senate to immediately re-admit Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan back to representation of her constituents which the Senate?s leadership has no legal power to limit her duties to her people and then allow for an unfettered investigation of the sexual harassment allegation through an independent investigative body that is not influenced by the same Senate president that is the subject of the accusation. Legally speaking, someone can?t be a prosecutor and a judge in his own case, I so humbly submit.

?Stacey Ukaobasi Onwuegbuchulam is a US-based child rights activist and the Convener of Forum for Child Rights Promotion.

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