I did not threaten Natasha during midnight phone call – Popular Senator cries out calls for DSS probe
I did not threaten Natasha during midnight phone call – Popular Senator cries out calls for DSS probe
In the wake of serious allegations, Nigerian Senate Majority Leader Senator Bamidele Opeyemi has urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to review a recorded phone conversation between him and suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The controversy erupted after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Opeyemi of threatening her during a phone call, an allegation she made public during her interview on Arise Television last week.
The interview, which stirred significant attention, centered around her accusations of sexual harassment against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The tension deepened following Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate on Thursday, one day after she formally submitted a petition against Akpabio.
The suspension was based on a report presented by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
The report cited multiple infractions of Senate rules, leading to her removal.
In a further twist, the same committee had earlier dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment petition against Akpabio, calling it “dead on arrival.”
Addressing the floor of the Senate on Thursday, Opeyemi said: “I listened to the distinguished Senator Natasha on Arise and I have no regret about what she said about me. She said I called her at exactly 12:13 am.
“I have no regrets. Every move that I made was a characteristic of my person and leadership role in trying to reconcile everybody. I went to the Senate President and when I got there that night I said ‘Sir, tomorrow in the chamber, you’ll have to tender a public apology to distinguished Senator Natasha. I beg you in the name of God. Because her understanding of what you said is different from how you’re interpreting it, by saying she should not speak as if she was in a night club. And you Mr President [addressing Akpabio] explained again that what you meant was that it was only in a night club that everybody tries to speak trying to raise their voice above the loud music and I said sir, ‘I understand you but tomorrow you’ll have to explain that again to her and the other women and apologise to her. And you said to me, ‘Why is it that you always come to me. Everybody is dragging me on social media, have you called Natasha?’
“And I picked up my phone and called Senator Natasha, placing her on speaker. I called her. I didn’t think 12 am is anytime we shouldn’t be awake as Senators. When I called her the first thing I said was ‘Distinguished, I’m sorry. Hope I didn’t wake you up? And she said, ‘no sir.’ I said ‘I only called to ask you a question. My dear sister, what would you gain if the Senate President goes down?’”
In a significant move, the invitation—issued from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government—marks the first time Fubara has officially addressed Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Assembly.
Dated March 7, the invitation references the governor’s March 5 letter, in which he acknowledged receipt of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
“And he has, therefore, directed to invite you and your colleagues, the Honourable members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to a meeting,” the invitation stated.
The agenda includes discussions on providing a suitable space for the Assembly’s sittings, settling outstanding remuneration and allowances, presenting the budget, and addressing other matters vital to the state’s progress.
The lawmakers have been requested to meet with the governor at his office on Monday, March 10, at 10 a.m.
News
Why I lost my Senate re-election bid in 2019 – Famous Senator opens up
Why I lost my Senate re-election bid in 2019 – Famous Senator opens up
A former Kaduna lawmaker, Sen. Shehu Sani, said he lost his senate re-election bid in 2019 because he opposed the former Gov.
Nasir El-Rufai’s move to obtain a 340 million dollars foreign loan.
Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
“I was insistent on speaking truth to power, and that was why I lost my re-election bid in 2019. Former Gov. Narsir El-Rufai was going for a 340 million dollar loan and we said ‘No’.
“”Some of us told him that such a venture would impact negatively on our people, but he went ahead and did that, while he perceived us as his political enemies.
“”This political battle with El-Rufai affected several other politicians, resulting in our leaving the party en masse.
“My own very case was that I stood up to the governor and I paid the price by losing my seat,” he said.
The popular pro-democracy activist, however, said that today, he had been vindicated.
“At that time, the governor was opposed to me; the state assembly members were opposed to me and many political figures there were opposed to me.
“Today, I am vindicated because even the governor of the state today has made it public how the finances and the economy of the state have been strangulated by that loan.
“Many projects were littered, uncompleted and abandoned all over the state. Kaduna today has become the second highest indebted state in the country.
“So I am vindicated, even though I lost my seat,” he said.
Sani said he was satisfied with the role he played on the controversial loan at that time.
“I’m satisfied that, at least, when I die, nobody will look to my grave and say this is the person who signed an approval for the loan that we are going to pay in 100 years.
“The vindication is more important to me than my return to the National Assembly,’’ he said.
The former lawmaker attributed the failure of most members of the national assembly to return to their refusal to be loyal to their governors.
This, he said, often resulted in high turn-out of lawmakers in each election year.
Sani, however, said that the high number of new lawmakers in national and state houses of assembly at every election year was not the best for Nigeria’s democracy.
He said that in the developed world, such as India and the United States, some lawmakers would be in the legislature for 30, 40 and 50 years.
“But in Nigeria, if you are a senator and you are fond of standing up every time to speak truth to the power, you will hardly come back to that national assembly.
“If what you are doing or saying is particularly contrary to the interests of the governor of your state, you will not come back to the national assembly,’’ he said.
The former senator also said that irrespective of a lawmaker’s qualifications, he could only emerge as senate president or speaker of the house if he happened to be the favourite of the executive.
“It’s only during Buhari’s time that a mistake was made in 2015 which made Buhari lose the election at the national assembly.
“Then his adversary Sen. Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara took over and you could see what happened for four years.
“ So, if you are elected as a governor of a state, your life is dependent on the state assembly and you cannot allow your enemy to take over.
“So, you will bring someone whose first qualification is not that he speaks good English, second qualification is not that he is competent, third qualification is not that he is good looking and fourth qualification is not that he knows how to make laws.
“The first qualification of a person who is going to be a speaker is that he is 100 per cent loyal to the governor or the president,’’ Sani said.(NAN)
News
Why I pulled out of World Bank loan, refused to borrow—Gov– Nigerian Governor
Why I pulled out of World Bank loan, refused to borrow – Nigerian Governor
Gov Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra says his administration pulled out of an existing loan arrangement with the World Bank to save the state from “debt overhang”.
Soludo said this while addressing members of the Late Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah Media team who were on inspection of the ongoing Government House and Governors Lodge project in Awka on Sunday.
He said his administration had not only refused to borrow from any bank or institution but also refused to access the Federal Government loan to states in 2024.
He said that notwithstanding the development, his administration had embarked on ambitious and people oriented projects which were at various stages of completion.
According to him, it may interest you to know that Anambra is the only state that pulled out of an existing World Bank loan arrangements which was signed before I came in.
“I looked at the terms of the loan and I said it was not sustainable; it was easy to continue with it because the next generation will pay but based on the terms, it was a bad deal for Anambra.
“Last year N438 billion was distributed to 35 states, Anambra was the only state that did not take it. I need money but I cannot borrow my state into slavery,” he said.
Soludo said he was giving Anambra a permanent Government House and Governor’s Lodge 34 years after it was created, expressing regret that the facilities had exited at a construction company office and outside Awka respectively.
He said that it was a magnificent project with about 34 buildings which were being built to last, such that in the next 200 years, they would still be standing like the White House in America.
“I said we are going to break the jinx and we are doing that with the biggest and the best that somebody said is going to be like a mini city,” he said.
Soludo said he had done over 750 kilometers of roads with about 410km completed with attention to parts of the state that had not seen tarred roads since their existence.
“We have touched education, health, youth empowerment, social reorientation and bringing back our value of dignity in labour against this new get rich quick mentality that is destroying our youths.
“I told Anambra people when I was sworn in that I will show them where every Kobo they gave me is channeled,” he said.
Mr Kamen Ogbonna, the Leader of the Ubah media team said they were impressed with what the governor was doing as it aligned with their Philosophy.
Ogbonna said it was interesting to note that Soludo had made such progress in three years without borrowing from any source.
“The magnitude of the Government House and Governors Lodge will tell you why other governors carefully avoided the project,” he said.
Nollywood stars including Steve Alajemba (Uwaezuoke) and Collins Monago who were on the trip lauded Soludo for his works and urged Anambra people to support him to continue the good job as they prepared for Nov. 8 guber. (NAN)