The ‘Banana Republic’ is quickly becoming Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu, according to Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former minister of education. On Thursday, Ezekwesili made the announcement on her X account.
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Legislator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan made the announcement following her Thursday appearance in Federal Capital High Court to face a criminal defamation allegation. The accusation was filed by the Nigerian government on behalf of Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President.
The federal government preferred three counts against Akpoti-Uduaghan, and she pleaded not guilty, according to furucinovel.
The former minister, however, characterised Natasha’s court arraignment as a malicious attempt to deflect attention away from the initial matter and evade responsibility.
As Ezekwesili put it:
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Following Senator Natasha Akpoti’s repeated requests for a fair hearing and an impartial investigation into her claims of sexual harassment against Senator Akpabio, who has so far received neither, the @SPNigeria, @NGRSenate, and @Senator Akpabio have used the @NigeriaGov to turn the tables on her.
A vicious diversion from the original issue is being perpetrated by the powerful to avoid accountability; in doing so, they are sending a message to the people of Nigeria that they, too, would be persecuted and silenced if they dare to speak up, much like the Kogi Senator.
To prosecute Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for “criminal defamation” on behalf of Senator Akpabio and his allies, attorneys representing the Federal Government of Nigeria arraigned her in the FCT High Court today, in a classic case of strangeness. On all three counts, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan firmly entered a not guilty plea.
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In a case where Nigeria is rapidly becoming a banana republic at the hands of @officialABAT and his political allies, it is ironic that the lawyers representing the Federal Government (FG) have requested that Senator Uduaghan be denied bail and subsequently sent to prison until the trial, which Justice Orji, the presiding judge, has scheduled to begin on September 23, 2025.
“Justice Orji granted @NatashaAkpoti bail immediately upon fulfilling certain conditions and denied the FG lawyer’s request,” the statement read. After the proceedings concluded, she fulfilled all of these and left the courtroom with her loving husband by her side.
Her constituents and other citizen-supporters responded energetically, and you should have seen it. That gave me hope.
“When this whole ordeal began, do you all recall the senator’s now-famous words—’This Injustice shall not be Sustained’?”
She remains steadfast in her belief that her sexual harassment petition against @Senator Akpabio is an issue that demands attention, despite the efforts of those who want to suppress her.