Oby Ezekwesili, former education minister, has accused the federal government of abusing its powers to protect Godswill Akpabio, senate president, from sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a post on X on Thursday, Ezekwesili said Akpoti-Uduaghan was arraigned at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court on charges of criminal defamation filed by federal government lawyers acting on behalf of Akpabio and his allies.
She said the arraignment is a “crafty act of diversion” designed to intimidate the Kogi senator and discourage other citizens from speaking out.
Her words: “In a case of gross abuse of power, the senate president, the Nigerian Senate, and Senator Akpabio co-opted the Nigerian government to turn the table on Senator Natasha Akpoti.
“Her demands for fair hearing and an independent investigation of her sexual harassment allegations have so far fallen on deaf ears.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge during her arraignment on Thursday.
Ezekwesili said lawyers representing the federal government asked the court to deny her bail and commit her to prison until the trial begins on September 23, 2025.
Justice Orji, who presided over the case, rejected the bail application and granted the senator bail with conditions, which she met before leaving the court.
The former minister wrote: “She walked out of court in the company of her devoted husband.
“She’s not backing down and continues to insist that her sexual harassment petition against Senator Akpabio is the issue that cannot be ignored regardless of the shenanigans of those that seek to silence her.”
Ezekwesili, who was in court alongside other civil society activists including Aisha Yesufu and representatives of FIDA, said Akpoti-Uduaghan received overwhelming support from her Kogi Central constituents and other citizens.
She described the prosecution as a dangerous signal to Nigerians that anyone who dares to speak up will face oppression.
“All reasonable Nigerians agree and stand with her,” she stated.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
