By News Maker Media in Abuja
Kinsmen of Senate President Godswill Akpabio have threatened legal action against individuals and groups allegedly attacking his wife, Mrs Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, over her recent visit to the National Assembly chamber.
The controversy followed reports that Mrs Akpabio visited the chamber at the weekend accompanied by individuals described in some accounts as marabouts and spiritualists, sparking widespread reactions and speculation across social media.
The reports have continued to generate questions about the purpose of the visit and why it took place on a weekend. However, the Senate President’s Special Adviser on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Jibril Lawal Tafida, said the visit was strictly administrative and undertaken with the knowledge and authorisation of relevant officials.
Reacting to the controversy, Akpabio’s kinsmen under the aegis of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District Professionals, IK-PRO, condemned what they described as sensational reporting and politically motivated attacks against the Senate President’s family.
In a statement jointly signed by IK-PRO President, Edidiong John; Secretary-General, Kemfon Neke; and Director-General, Sekenim Asuka, and made available to journalists in Uyo on Wednesday, the group questioned why the presence of the Senate President’s wife in the chamber had become a matter of national controversy.
The group also challenged descriptions of some of the people who accompanied Mrs Akpabio as spiritualists, asking what physical features could legitimately be used to classify an individual in such a manner. It said such characterisations amounted to an attempt to malign and ridicule the Senate President’s family.
IK-PRO said political competition ahead of the next election cycle should not be allowed to degenerate into harassment, character assassination, cyberbullying or attacks on family members who do not hold public office. It warned that legitimate criticism of public officials should not be extended to what it described as unlawful digital abuse.
The group further warned that Nigeria’s legal framework provides remedies for cyberbullying, harassment, defamation and other forms of unlawful conduct, stressing that it would not hesitate to explore all lawful options to protect the dignity and legitimate interests of the Senate President, his family and the office he occupies. It urged political actors and their supporters to exercise restraint and allow Mrs Akpabio to conduct her legitimate affairs without being subjected to what it called manufactured controversy.
