Akpabio Punished Natasha, But Saraki Never Punished Him for the Same Offense
Former Adamawa North senator, Ishaku Elisha Abbo, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of acting like an “emperor” in handling the sexual harassment allegation raised by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, Abbo criticised Akpabio for allegedly ordering Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension from the Senate, contrasting it with his own past encounter with Akpabio in the 8th Senate. He recalled a verbal altercation between Akpabio and then-Senate President Bukola Saraki over seat arrangements, emphasising that Akpabio was not suspended. “In Natasha’s case, Akpabio acted like an emperor and ordered her suspension for six months,” Abbo stated. The former senator also revisited his ousting from the Senate, calling it an act of “judicial banditry.” He alleged that the judge who ruled against him knew the decision was unjust, revealing that an intermediary was later sent to his house to plead with him. “The judge ruled that elections took place in five local governments but cancelled results in two, affecting 203 polling units, without ordering a rerun. That was outright robbery,” he said. Abbo further criticised the National Judicial Council (NJC) for its inability to discipline appellate-level judges, advocating for restructuring the body to ensure accountability. When questioned about his controversial past, including an incident where he was filmed slapping a store owner in Abuja, Abbo claimed the video excluded the part where his sister was allegedly assaulted. In 2019, Abbo faced widespread criticism after being filmed assaulting a woman in a intimacy gadget shop in Abuja. The court subsequently imposed a fine of N50 million on the lawmaker for the assault. Some months later, Abbo was again caught on camera, this time assaulting a man named Silas Daniel in his hometown of Mubi. Silas, a former Personal Assistant (PA) to Abbo, was reportedly attacked with machetes, daggers, and clubs by thugs acting under the lawmaker’s orders. On January 4, 2023, SaharaReporters revealed that policemen from the Federal Capital Territory, acting under Senator Abbo’s orders, detained freelance journalist Yau Saeed Mubi. Mubi was arrested on December 27 following a publication criticising the lack of good governance in Adamawa North, which Abbo represented at the time.
