A group of professionals from the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, operating under the aegis of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District Professionals (IK-PRO), has condemned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for alleging that Senate President Godswill Akpabio is corrupt and has a history of abusing women.
Atiku made the allegations while reacting to a sexual harassment accusation leveled against Akpabio by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. He claimed that Akpabio, during his tenure as Akwa Ibom State governor, was involved in the abuse of women and criticized the Senate President for the swift approval of the state of emergency declared in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement released on Tuesday in Uyo and signed by the group’s National President, Edidiong John, and National Secretary, Barr. Kemfon Neke, IK-PRO described Atiku’s remarks as politically motivated blackmail aimed at tarnishing Akpabio’s reputation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The statement read:
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in his recent remarks, baselessly accused the Senate President of corruption and alleged that he had a history of abusing women during his tenure as Governor of Akwa Ibom State. However, he failed to provide any specific details or reference any pending corruption charges against Senator Akpabio. Likewise, he did not cite any verifiable incidents of abuse to support his outrageous claims. Instead, he resorted to reckless falsehoods, seemingly in a desperate bid to tarnish the Senate President’s reputation ahead of the 2027 elections.”
The group questioned Atiku’s credibility, pointing out that his own record is marred by allegations of corruption, including accusations made by his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo. The statement referenced Obasanjo’s book My Watch, Volume 2, where he criticized Atiku’s integrity and moral standards.
IK-PRO further condemned Atiku’s criticism of the National Assembly’s unanimous approval of the Rivers State state of emergency, accusing him of selective outrage for blaming Akpabio while ignoring the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who also presided over the decision.
The group reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s administration through effective legislation and oversight, despite what they described as politically motivated distractions.
The statement concluded:
“Despite these attempts at distraction, the Senate under Senator Akpabio remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing national development and delivering prosperity to Nigerians.”
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