Akpabio vs Natasha: ‘Egungun be careful’

A story was told of a masquerade who chose to go out during the rain. A masquerade, as we know in Yorubaland, is an honourable being from the great beyond. A masquerade brings messages from the forerunner of families.

 A masquerade is not expected to fall down as the being must be seen standing and giving direction to its followers. So this particular masquerade decided to go out during the day when it was raining, which is a bad omen as the ground could be slippery and signal the fall of the masquerade.

Having made this choice, followers began to drum and sing a song of warning, “egungun, ara orun, ma sora ile n yo’’. This means “the masquerade, the great one from beyond, be very careful as the ground is slippery”. They knew that as an elder, his senses ought to tell him that his choice of going out at such a time had greater implications on the honour bestowed on a citizen from beyond.

After a careful monitoring of the imbroglio between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio, which led to the suspension of the former while the senate president still retains his seat, I am beginning to think it is time to drum and sing this same song to Senator Akpabio.

The issue of sexual harassment is often a messy one, often without strong evidence and argument, and one or the two parties involved never live to remain the same. This is especially so in this age of social media where the internet never forgets. 

As an individual, the little information I have about the two individuals involved is what we read from the news and what is shared by the parties. 

In an ideal situation, a man who knows the huge implication of what this accusation means would have recused himself from office and allowed an independent panel to look at the issue critically or provide strong counter-evidence. “I think Mr Uduaghan is my friend,” a statement credited to Senator Akpabio said. That, to me, is adding insult to the injury.

If per adventure, there is an iota of truth that could have compromised Senator Akpabio’s position, one would have thought the best solution would have been to acknowledge and say sorry, which I strongly believe will reduce the damage that is likely to come in the near distant future.

I quite understand that in Nigeria, we always think we can win all the battles because we are in power, but this kind of battle has an international edge and dimension where the outcome can smear Senator Akpabio more than Akpoti-Uduaghan. 

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, to me, seems to have been fully prepared for this battle and had gathered her evidence in advance, if what we are hearing and seeing is anything to go by.

Unlike her accusation of Reno Omokri of the same offence, where Omokri showed more valid evidence of not being in Aso Rock when she said the offence was committed, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had documented dates and times when Senator Akpabio or, by extension, his emissaries were calling her at unholy hours to allegedly threaten her. While Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is allegedly coming out with facts, Senator Akpabio is whipping up emotions.

Yes, the big rod — suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan — has been applied at the local level where the power of Senator Akpabio is very strong. My fear today is that the battle is shifting ground; Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken the battle beyond Nigeria. This has an implication on the national image.

The way Nigeria is painted may have serious implications on its leadership. Not many ladies had gone that far, at least that I am aware of, who had taken their plea to such a high-level meeting. It is like a case of ‘he that wants to die has collided with he that wants to kill’. Like Senator Akpoti said: “This injustice will not be sustained.” It seems she is ready to get her pint of blood. 

So, Senator Akpabio should be ready. I am also a bit concerned with everyone who has stood with Senator Akpabio on this matter to date. They should also thread carefully and make informed decisions based on facts.

Anything short of this will smear their image beyond any present gain, if there is any at all, they may be imagining.