The kinsmen of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, under the umbrella body of Afe Annang, a foremost socio-cultural organization of the Annang nation in Akwa Ibom State, have stated that the six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was not enough punishment.
The group stated that Natasha denigrated the Senate by her behavior and her petition against Akpabio.
Natasha had submitted a petition alleging she had been sexually harassed by the Akpabio.
However, the Akpabio-led Senate dismissed her petition on procedural grounds as the ethics committee recommended her suspension, saying she had brought ridicule to the upper chamber.
While speaking with journalists during a media interaction in the Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, the Itai Afe Annang, His Majesty Obong Blaise Awakama, who was flanked by other elders of the Annang extraction, said the embattled senator should be recalled by her constituents.
“We are not satisfied with only suspension; I think she should be recalled by her constituents and advised properly.
“I don’t think that type of conduct, any Nigerian, let alone a woman, should carry it to the Senate. It’s not enough to be suspended; I think her constituents should recall and give her proper advice and orientation and be replaced by some other person,” he said.
Akpabio’s kinsmen emphasized that every ethnic group is represented in the Senate; the elders warned that no female senator should be used as a front to defame the Senate President.
They warned against any plot to remove Akpabio from his position as Senate President, adding that they would not fold their arms to see such a plot succeed.
They also stressed that a “false claim” of sexual harassment should not be used as an instrument of political harassment by political antagonists.
