He said, “This outrageous accusation is not only false but a complete fabrication and deeply irresponsible and dangerous attempt to provoke public unrest, attract media attention, and discredit the person and office of the President of the Senate for ulterior motives. "It is important to remind the public that the same person had previously made an unsubstantiated claim of sexual harassment against me, which she appears to have dropped without giving any explanation. Having failed to gain traction with that narrative, she has now escalated her campaign of misinformation to a defamatory dimension. “It is a matter of public record that she has previously made assassination allegations against Yaya Bello and others in 2019 and 2023, along with multiple unsubstantiated claims of sexual harassment against other dignitaries.
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Her recurring persecution narrative and evident lying complex should not be weaponised to malign individuals or destroy hard-earned reputations.” In a similar manner, Akpabio criticized Elisha Abbo, a former legislator who represented Adamawa North Senatorial District, and reiterated that he did not influence Abbo's removal from the National Assembly as claimed. Abbo was sacked by a Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on October 16, 2023. However, the former legislator, who appeared on a live program on Arise Television on Wednesday, attributed his situation to Akpabio. The politician equally accused the Senate President of running the Red Chamber like an emperor. The Senate President said he suspected both claims, coming almost at the same time, must have been a deliberate and coordinated campaign of calumny against his personality. To avoid filing a lawsuit, he therefore requested that both individuals retract their statements and apologize.
“Nigerians will recall that Abbo, in 2023, publicly retracted this same accusation and tendered an apology after acknowledging that his claims were founded on incorrect assumptions. The Court of Appeal made the independent determination that he was not properly elected to represent Adamawa North, which resulted in his removal from office. This decision was based on the Constitution and the Court of Appeal.
“These coordinated attacks' timing, tone, and striking similarity strongly suggest a politically motivated smear campaign. These individuals, supported by unidentified interests, appear to be working together in a last-ditch effort to damage the credibility of the Senate and its leadership and to divert attention from their own personal and political failings. "Senator Godswill Akpabio will not be discouraged. Regardless of the necessity for legal redress, formal letters of demand, seeking immediate public retractions, apologies, and compensation for reputational harm, are underway to be served on both Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Mr Elisha Abbo,” the statement added.
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