WHY IS SENATOR AKPABIO RUNNING FROM HIS OWN PARTY’S PANEL IF HE’S INNOCENT?

When those who hold the power refuse to face the truth, what does it reveal about our system?

When a man is accused of something as serious as sexual harassment, and the President of the Federal Republic decides that such a matter must not be swept under the carpet but should instead be handled with the utmost transparency, fairness and national seriousness by setting up a high level panel headed by the Vice President, one would imagine that those who believe in justice would welcome the process and boldly submit themselves to be cleared or held accountable, whichever the truth may favour, but what happens when the accused himself suddenly pulls out of the very panel that was meant to investigate him?

What does it mean when the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who should be the number one symbol of legislative integrity, backs out from a presidential investigative panel without any public explanation?

What should a nation think of its Senate President who, after being accused by a female colleague in the Red Chamber of sexual misconduct, chooses to walk away from a panel that included the National Security Adviser, the Attorney General of the Federation, and was chaired by the Vice President of the country, all men of state, all chosen to search for truth and uphold national dignity?

Are we to believe the whispers making rounds that Senator Akpabio quietly pulled out because he feared the process would expose more than what was already in the open?

If he claims, as reported, that he left the panel due to interference from the Executive and lack of trust in the panel’s neutrality, is he also accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of compromising justice, or is this simply a well clothed excuse to run from something bigger?

Can a man claim lack of confidence in a panel set up by his own party’s President and still remain in the position of Senate President under the same administration, holding the nation’s second most powerful seat in the legislature?

When a man holds such a position yet refuses to subject himself to an investigative process set up by the highest office in the land, is he not mocking the very democracy we claim to practise?

It is no longer hidden that the panel was announced on April 2nd, 2025, with the mandate to probe the allegations raised by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, who accused Senator Akpabio of sexual harassment. Yet, while the country awaited truth and accountability, the Senate moved instead to suspend the woman who made the allegation, a move that smells of intimidation and institutional suppression.

How can the victim be silenced while the accused withdraws from scrutiny?

What message does that send to every woman in Nigeria who may one day gather the courage to speak up against powerful men?

The civil advocacy group, Action Collective, has asked the same questions millions of citizens are quietly murmuring across the country. If Akpabio does not trust the panel, does he trust the President who set it up? Is his silence not a loud noise to the ears of the public?

When voices rise to ask questions and those questions remain unanswered, speculation becomes king and truth begins to hide its face in shame. We have also seen how a certain academic, Prof. Mgbeke, was allegedly sponsored to launch a campaign against Senator Natasha in what has now been exposed as a failed plot to divert attention from the real issue. But like the proverb says, when the cock crows at midnight, even the blind man knows that morning will expose secrets.

Senator Natasha has remained consistent, has not run away, and has even declared her intention to present her evidence in court. If a woman says she will prove her case before the law, and the man she accuses begins to run from a panel, who then should the people believe?

If Senator Akpabio believes in his innocence, why run from the light and choose to remain in the shadow?

If he believes the panel is not fair, why not say so publicly, in writing, and show respect to the same Nigerian people whose taxes pay for the chair he sits on in the Senate?

It is no longer about politics, this is now a matter of national image. Nigeria is watching, the world is watching, and history is watching. Let it be known that the seat of Senate President is not a seat to hide from truth. It is a seat of honour, and where honour cannot be upheld, dignity demands a resignation.

Senator Akpabio must either speak now with full clarity or step aside honourably, for silence in the face of grave accusations is not strength, it is cowardice. Let no man, no matter how highly placed, ever think that his office can silence justice, because justice, like time, always finds its way to the front door.

The Presidency has shown courage by initiating the panel. It must now rise higher by ensuring that the process is completed without interference or compromise. The people are no longer fooled. The game is exposed, the excuses are weak, and the truth is calling.

If Akpabio cannot face a panel of his own brothers in the party, then he’s telling you something: he’s afraid of the truth.

And if he’s afraid of the truth, then, just maybe Natasha was telling the truth all along.

We are watching.

#TruthOverTitles

Opinion by ILUO DePOET

ILUOOGHENE P. AMUKPO

Legal Practitioner | Political Analyst | Author | Public Speaker | Poet | Pan-African | Justice Advocate