Rights Activist Calls On Tinubu To Settle Rift Between Akpabio, Natasha, Blasts Senators

By Daniel Dafe

Comr. (Amb) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, National Coordinator,
Initiative For Social Rights Concerns
And Advancement (ISRCA) AKA “No Justice, No Peace” has said that “under various presidential administrations, the Senate has exhibited a pattern of unbecoming conducts.”

He said this in a statement on Thursday while reacting to the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

According to him, “the supposedly esteemed legislative body has devolved into a venue for blackmail, systemic corruption, and juvenile displays, as frequently observed during budget defense proceedings, with the dysfunction pervasive across all represented political parties within the chamber.”

ALSO READ: IGP Appoints DC Ahmed Lateef As PSO, Posts CP Johnson To Oyo, CP Mamman To Enugu

He continued: “Sustaining sensible and meaningful conversations has become almost impossible for Nigerian Senators, as they have become overly consumed by their power, exercising their strengths over one another. A Federal House of Representatives, whose primary concern should be the plight of the people and alleviating their suffering, is instead preoccupied with self-interest, introducing personal issues into the chamber, which are broadcast on national television.
What a shame!

“As the supreme legislative body in the country, the Federal House of Representatives is constitutionally empowered to make laws for the peace, order, and good governance of the Federation. A Chamber that should promote Nigeria’s democratic ideals, peace, unity, and development has struggled to foster a sense of national unity, representing their interests, while failing to collaborate closely with the Executive Arm of Government to address the multifaceted challenges facing the nation.

Furthermore, he called on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promptly intervene to resolve the discrepancies between Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central in the Nigerian Senate, by establishing an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the matter, posing pertinent questions such as what transpired, why it occurred, who bears responsibility, and what measures can be taken to prevent such incidents from recurring?

He said further: “There are matters that other counterparts should not be privy to, and this is one of them that misrepresents the Federal Senate’s purposes. Unfortunately, the Senate House has become a problem in contemporary politics in almost all African countries. Nevertheless, President Ahmed Tinubu should intervene in the lingering issue, rescuing the situation from escalating further.”