Politics
Natasha: Akpabio toying with ‘banana peels’ David Mark, Saraki avoided – PDP chieftain
Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Sunday berated Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the allegations of sexual harassment against him.
Ologbondiyan said Akpabio has been toying with the mistake former Senate Presidents like David Mark, Bukola Saraki and Ahmad Lawan avoided.
The PDP chieftain likened the mistakes to “Banana peels”.
He made the remark against the backdrop of sexual allegations levelled against Akpabio by Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Posting on X, Ologbondiyan said there should be consequences for Akpabio’s action of introducing the ‘Banana Sleaze’ into the lexicon of the Senate.
Ologbondiyan said: “When Senator David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark emerged as the President of the Senate in June 2007, one of his first assignments was to search for the ‘Banana Peels’ that had removed from office a number of Senate Presidents that preceded him.
“Banana Peels’ was the nebulous hubris that bordered on financial malfeasance which suddenly ended the tenure of a number of presiding officers from the chair.
“But the inimitable Senator Mark smartly pulled back from the issues of money in the Senate and constituted a committee that established financial protocols for the Senate and all senators.
“He (Mark) would later spend eight (8) uninterrupted and noiseless years as the presiding officer of the Senate and the Chairman of the National Assembly.
“Subsequent presiding officers of the Senate, namely Senators Bukola Saraki and Ahmed Lawan, also did terms of four years each and vacated the chair gracefully and peacefully without a fall from the proverbial ‘Banana Peels’.
“Interestingly, the current Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has been toying with the ‘Banana Peels’ in his almost two years in office.
“Now, he has, through the current allegations of sexual harassment, fully introduced the ‘Banana Sleaze’ into the lexicon of the Senate and the consequences are always inevitable.”
Chairman, Policy Manifesto Committee of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, John Odigie-Oyegun, says former president Muhammadu Buhari gave him the shock of his life, six months into his administration as Nigeria’s leader.
Oyegun made this disclosure on Friday when he featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.
He revealed that as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he went to tell Buhari that he was not delivering his election promises to Nigerians but that the late president told him he would not rule with strictness, but rather wanted to show Nigerians that he is a true civilian president.
The former APC National Chairman lamented that it became business as usual, from there.
“I was national chairman of the APC. Six months or less into our assuming office, fairly alarmed, I went to the late President Buhari for a one-on-one talk. I said Mr President, this is not what the people were expecting. They wanted a bit of the old president Buhari.
“And he explained to me, Mr Chairman, I have learned my lesson. I was shocked. And don’t forget at that time, a lot of prominent Nigerians took their holidays abroad, just to be sure and see what this new sheriff in town will be.
“Buhari told me he wants to now show the people that he’s a true civilian president in Agbada. And by the time we finished the conversation, I said Oh God, we are finished. Because, if he’s not ready to be strict, what’s the point?
“Weeks later, months later, years later, I was proven correct. And of course, it became business as usual, only that they are a new set of tenants in Aso Rock. That was a shocker,” he said.
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
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