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OPINION: Akpabio, Akpoti-Uduaghan In Court Of Public Opinion

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By Suyi Ayodele

Counsel: ‘Miss Gibson, in this dwelling on Van Buren Street where you live, which the President owns, is there any means of private access one could use to go from downstairs to the upstairs or vice versa?’

Witness: ‘Do you mean, is there some kind of private stairway or hidden passage by which the President and I could have seen one another without being seen by others?’

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Counsel: ‘I will request you to refrain from rewording or redefining my questions, Miss Gibson. I mean precisely what I asked. Did the President have any private means of getting to your quarters or you to his?’

Witness: ‘No. Unless he used a ladder-or the vine that grows on the back wall – but I doubt if the President is, or ever was, that athletic or romantically foolhardy.’

“The spectators in the gallery roared with laughter, and some stamped and whistled.” (Pages 666-667).

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The above quotes are from Irving Wallace’s Avant-garde novel, The Man 1964). The episodic novel is about the impeachment proceedings against the very first Black President of the United States of America, Douglas Dilman. Fictional as The Man is, its closeness to the literary device of verisimilitude makes it a compelling and unputdownable work of art!

The closest to its plots in real life is the December 19, 1998, impeachment of President Bill Clinton by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress on the allegations contained in the two articles of impeachment bothering on “Lying on Oath” and “Obstruction of Justice” in the Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sexual harassment saga.

Writers are prophets. Irving Wallace (March 19, 1916-June 29, 1990) was one. Thirty-four years after the American novelist wrote the fiction about the impeachment of an American President by the US congress and his acquittal by the US Senate on allegation of sexual immorality, Clinton came face to face with the predicament predicted in the fiction, The Man!

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The only difference, however, is that while the fictional President Douglas Dilman was a Black man, Clinton is Caucasian. Both ‘Presidents’ were saved by the US Senate which voted 66 against and 34 for, in the case of President Dilman; and 50 against and 50 for, in the case of President Clinton. To impeach an American President, the movers of the impeachment must secure 67 votes from the senators.

One interesting thing about the fictional and real impeachment motions in the above two cases is the fact that at the last minute, when the trials were hot in the US Senate, both Dilman and Clinton, against protestations from the counsels, volunteered to defend themselves, their integrity and the sanctity of the American Presidency!

The duo surrendered themselves to the hostile scrutiny of the House Managers, who, during cross-examinations, asked questions that went deep into the beings of the personalities. But at the end of the day, the essence of American Democracy was upheld and the sanctity of the US Presidency preserved. Little wonder that America progresses irrespective of the personal failings of its leaders.

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Miss Wanda Gibson in the opening quotes was the suspected mistress of President Dilman. Those opposed to the coming of Dilman, a Black President in the Oval Office, concluded that Gibson and Dilman being singles, and having been close friends for five years, there was no way they would not have gotten into some levels of intimacy.

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Gibson’s response under cross-examination above, and the subsequent one (page 669) to wit: (‘Of people like you, Mr. Manager, who might think him too black for me, and me too white for him, and who might cry out that our union would be mongrelizing the Congress, where he was once a member, or the white House, where is now the President…” , nailed the trial and secured victory for Dilman!

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I have taken the pain to review The Man here because of its relevance to the current happening in the Nigerian Senate between the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Like Dilma who was also accused of sexual immorality against his White House Social Secretary, Miss Sally Watson, Senate President Akpabio is being accused of sexual harassment by a fellow senator, Akpoti-Uduaghan. What do we make of this?

Before we dwell on that, permit a little exercise in sexuality and power here. Pau-Michael Foucault (October 15, 1926-June 25, 1984), a French historian and philosopher, did seminal work on “The History of Sexuality” (1976). In an article published on “The Atlas Society” on Foucault’s Sexuality, especially on the Frenchman’s Theory of Desire, Foucault asserted that “any time desire is present (presumably including sextual desire), the Power Relation is already present.” The philosopher had earlier posited that sex and power “both hold to a juridico-discursive (a model that views power as negative, repressive and based on violence) concept of power that sees power as essentially negative, something that constrains us or holds us back…”

These positions on those two human virtues or vices, appear, unfortunately, tally with the Irish poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854-November 30, 1900), who submitted that “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.” How true? How many men of power, or men-in-power are disciplined enough to draw a line between their influence and their sexual urges? How many men of power have gone down because of women and what is between their laps?

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Senator Godswill Akpabio is no doubt swimming in a stormy water which is also infested with wild crocodiles, this time. I want to sincerely believe that the Senate President is not under any illusion that this matter is one that will go away easily.

Again, I also do sincerely hope that Akpabio is aware that it is not only his reputation that is at stake here but that of the institution he represents – the Senate. If he has those understandings, I expect that the number three man in the country will do that which is noble, transparent and allow all due processes to take their course so that justice will not only be done but will be seen to have been done!

At this juncture, I don’t think it is proper for anyone desirous of seeing the end and truth of this matter to pitch tent with any of the gladiators in this case. It would have been a different matter if the two gladiators were not responsibly married. The fact that their spouses had come out to defend them also makes the matter messier.

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However, there are certain things that cannot be allowed to go away just like that; our sentiments notwithstanding. Chiefly amongst them is the antecedents of the two people involved in this dirty fight. For Senator Akpabio, the odds are against him when it comes to the issue of his relationship with the opposite sex and his propensity towards becoming an incurable misogynist! The same thing with Akpoti-Uduaghan and her almost every-day-skirt-pulling tale!

We shall not forget here Senator Akpabio’s 2020, encounter with Joy Nunieh, the former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), who alleged that Akpabio tried to get fresh with her at a guest house in the Apo area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

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During that encounter while Akpabio was the Minister of the Niger Delta, Nunieh claimed that she had to slap the Akwa Ibom senator, and boasted to have held the exclusive trophy of the first, and possibly, the only woman to have slapped Akpabio! The feeble response from Akpabio then was the fact that Nunieh was not married to one man! How is that an issue, or the concern of the senator? Does a woman, being “not married to one man” give licence for another man to touch her inappropriately?

This is why I think that Senator Akpabio will do himself and the Senate a lot of good if he allows this new accusation from Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to be thoroughly investigated. And he must allow that! The Senate President must, as a matter of necessity, and in line with good conscience and good convention, first withdraw, or restrain the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, from going ahead with the probe of the alleged misconduct against Akpoti-Uduaghan until the probe of the allegation of sexual harassment is dispensed with.

More importantly, Senator Akpabio must show good example by stepping aside from the office of the Senate President while the probe of the allegation of sexual harassment is determined! Nothing can be fairer; nothing can be more just! He must personally appear before any panel set up to investigate this matter. Presidents Dilman and Clinton did the same. Senate President Bukola Saraki also set the precedent in the 8th Senate. Akpabio should not and must never be an exception!

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And for the Senate Beauty Queen, and self-acclaimed Cinderella, Akpoti-Uduaghan, one can only hope that the Kogi State Senator will realise that she cannot continue to accuse every man who crosses her path as being interested in what is between her laps! It is no longer funny that every man wants to have the beautiful senator ‘Take care of him’, as she alleged against the Senate President.

Methinks Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan needs to do a retrospection on why every man would want to get intimate with her. Granted that she is beautiful, but she is not the first meteor in our Senate! The Nigerian Senate had had more beautiful women before, and it still has. What is the issue with her such that men with suspected acrobatic libidos will not allow her to rest?

I asked this question because in the past, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan once alleged that Reno Omokri, former aide to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, made passes at her. The allegation was later discovered to be a lie from the pit of hell as Omokri was in the far away United States on an official assignment the day the senator claimed the sexual overtures took place in Abuja!

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Now it is Senator Akpabio. But that does not mean that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s current allegation is not true. My worry is what if Akpabio proved, the way Omokri did, that Akpoti-Uduaghan lied? What will be left of her reputation? Natasha says she has all to prove that Akpabio wanted her to warm his bed; I pray, and fervently too, that the Kogi senator is not just grandstanding. I wish she could prove, and convincingly too, that Senator Akpabio’s third element is not as disciplined as the position the Senate President occupies!

This now takes us to the coming into the fray of Mrs. Unoma Ekaette Akpabio, wife of the Senate President, and High Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, husband of Akpoti-Uduaghan. Mrs. Akpabio, in defending her husband, has equally gone to court, asking for N350 billion in damages.

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Without prejudice to the matter, I wish to state here that it would have been a lot better if Madam Ekaette allowed Senator Akpabio to defend himself and thereafter seek legal redress. The only exception here is if Mrs. Akpabio wanted to convince us that her husband would naturally come home to tell her if he had any urge towards any woman! That is funny!

Mrs. Akpabio said her husband is “a disciplined and a jovial man.” I don’t question that. But I think she should read more of Foucault, knowing that her husband is the third most powerful person in the country, today. Also, and more importantly, the assertion by Ryan Guzman “that every man is a sucker for women with beautiful eyes” could be useful here. She doesn’t have to share the sentiments in the philosophies above!

However, I find it instructive, the warning by Akpoti-Uduaghan, while responding to Mrs. Akpabio, that what would be revealed would shock the Senate President’s wife. Whatever it is, I feel, and strongly too, that Mrs. Uduaghan should have allowed her husband to prove his innocence while she held prayers for the truth of the matter to come out at the end of the day.

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But if I find Mrs. Akpabio’s response funny, especially the insinuation that her husband is too “disciplined” to lift another woman’s skirt, the response of High Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, left me dumbfounded! I still would like to ask who advised the Warri High Chief to pen that response?

I have read High Chief Uduaghan’s response a couple of times and I keep asking on each occasion: what sort of man goes to another man making passes at his wife to ask, “respectfully” the libidinous character “…to extend the courtesy and respect my wife deserves while also honouring the friendship between us. We reached an understanding and agreed to resolve the issue amicably.” How ‘amicable’ can such a reconciliation be with a man who wants to explore and exploit another man’s well?

That was what the Itsekiri High Chief penned in his response to the allegation. An African man confirmed that his wife “confided in me about her interactions with the Senate President.” And all he could do is to approach “the matter with the utmost maturity and responsibility, as it is my duty as a traditional leader who has immense respect for constituted authority and upholds core family values to foster peace and harmony.” Then he added that “despite this agreement, my wife continued to express concerns about the harassment she has endured from the Senate President.” That is an African man! That is an Itsekiri High Chief talking about the man alleged to have asked, continuously, his (High Chief) wife to pull down her skirt!! Wonderful!!!

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May my mind never play the ‘evil spirit’ on me on a Tuesday morning! I tried unsuccessfully to ask my Itsekiri friends if they have anything close to Magun (climb not), Tesho (strong and weak) and Alemaro (permanent turgidity) in their local pharmacies! What would have been a better response to a randy fellow, whose libido can only be satisfied with the inner recesses of a married man, than to send him back to his maker or make him permanently inactive in the down region? Oh, ‘evil spirit’, I cast you to the bottomless pit!

Jokes apart. The whole issue rests squarely on Senate President Akpabio. He must be civil, civilised and decent in the way he handles this matter. Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) has words of advice for him in this circumstance. He says: “In developed societies like Western Europe, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, he (Akpabio) would have been asked to step down, but have we developed to that level? I don’t know.” Senator Godswill Akpabio owes this generation, and the ones coming, the onerous responsibility to answer the professor’s poser. Mr. Senate President, I ask: HAVE WE DEVELOPED TO THAT LEVEL?

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Back To School: Lions Club Distributes Educational Materials In Edo Schools

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The Benin Etete Unique and Edo Heritage Lions of the International Association of Lions Club on Friday jointly distributed educational materials to two schools in Benin City as part of the association corporate services to humanity.

The two clubs in District 404-A4 Lions Nigeria, jointly carried out the distribution of notebooks, maths sets, school bags and sandals, pens and other writing materials to excited pupils in Ivbioba Primary School and Oghede-Ivioba Primary School, Ugbighoko, Egor Local Government Area, and Evbiyenava Primary School, in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

Themed, Back to School Project, pupils were also engaged in Reading Action Program (RAP) and Spelling Bee Competition, after which winners were presented with special prizes.

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In their remarks, Lions Darlington Uyi and Franca Nikoro, presidents of Benin Etete Unique and Edo Heritage Lions Clubs stated that the vision of the Lions International is to serve humanity.

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They, therefore, tasked pupils on commitment to their studies in order to attain their fullest potentials in life.

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Emulate Lions in your visions for tomorrow. We have various professionals as members, and if you are committed to your studies, obedient to your parents and teachers, you will attain great heights,” Lion Uyi Darlinton Stated.

Our vision is to serve, and we are here like we do every period to ensure Literacy is inculcated in pupils to enable them to attain their full potential. It is our earnest desire that you grow into well rounded personalities. Literacy is important in order to actualize that aspiration,” Franca Nikoro stated.

Earlier, in his address, Lion Sir Dede Henry Idemudia, Zone 6A Chairperson, tasked the pupils on good conduct, honour to parents and guardians and obedience to instructions of school authority.

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NAFDAC Gives Nigerian Food Companies 18 Months To Cut Trans Fats

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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has set an 18-month grace period, effectively giving food companies until early 2026 before facing full enforcement of regulations to eliminate industrially produced Trans-Fatty Acids (TFA).

The initiative, launched as a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for TFA regulation, moves Nigeria from simply having the policy to enforcing its world-class standard: a regulatory limit of no more than two grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of total fat or oil.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasised that the roadmap moves the country beyond policy creation to aggressive enforcement and implementation.

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This was contained in the NAFDAC DG’s keynote speech posted on the agency’s official X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

Adeyeye stressed the moral imperative of the Agency’s mission.

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The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative.

“Eliminating industrially produced trans fats is possible, achievable, necessary, and urgent,” Adeyeye stated, calling for national collaboration.

The moratorium period is designed to allow manufacturers to exhaust existing stock with outdated labels and reformulate their products to comply with the legal limit.

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NAFDAC’s action targets a dangerous dietary risk factor strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and premature death globally.

Adeyeye emphasised the significance of the move beyond technical compliance, noting, “The removal of industrially produced trans fats from the food chain is not only a technical achievement, but a moral imperative.”

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This aggressive step builds upon Nigeria’s existing reputation; the country was recognised by the World Health Organisation in 2023 for adopting best-practice TFA elimination policies.

The new roadmap is key to securing WHO validation of Nigeria’s full TFA elimination programme, establishing the nation as a regional leader in public health interventions.

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Mohbad’s Father Urges Lagos AG To Prosecute Wife, Nurse, Others

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Joseph Aloba, the father of late singer Mohbad, has urged the Lagos State government to initiate criminal proceedings against individuals named in the coroner’s inquest into his son’s death.

Mohbad passed away on September 12, 2023, following an injection administered by auxiliary nurse Feyisayo Ogedengbe.

Despite being buried the next day, public outcry and ongoing investigations led to the exhumation of his body on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy.

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In a letter dated October 3 and addressed to the attorney general of Lagos State through his lawyers, Aloba demanded that criminal charges be filed against those indicted within 14 days.

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Specifically, we refer to persons indicted by the coroner’s verdict hereunder: Miss Ogedengbe Fisayo, indicted for unlawful medical practice and gross medical negligence; and Mrs. Omowunmi Aloba, indicted for negligence,” the letter reads.

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“This includes Ibrahim Owodunni, a.k.a. Prime Boy, and others who either facilitated the invitation of the auxiliary nurse or refused to take him promptly to a recognised medical facility for treatment.”

Mohbad’s father said he was concerned that despite the coroner’s clear verdict, no prosecutorial steps had been taken against those indicted nearly three months after the judgment.

He asked the attorney general to exercise prosecutorial powers within the 14 days, or, in the alternative, grant him and his legal team a fiat to prosecute the matter on behalf of the state.

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“Our Client, as a bereaved father desirous of ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done, is deeply concerned that notwithstanding the clear indictments contained in the Coroner’s Verdict, no prosecutorial steps have been taken against the aforementioned persons since the delivery of the Verdict on 11th July, 2025,” the letter reads.

The judicial observations amount to clear indictments warranting the prosecution of the said individuals in order to give full effect to the Coroner’s findings and recommendations, and to ensure that justice is manifestly and adequately served in this matter.

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“We request that you exercise your prosecutorial power on the above subject matter within 14 Days Next, in view of the high sensitivity of this matter and the public attention and outrage it has generated.”

In October 2023, Naira Marley and Sam Larry were arrested over allegations linking them to Mohbad’s death, but were released on bail after five weeks in detention.

By February 2025, a magistrate court cleared them of any involvement in the singer’s demise.

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