Natasha: Nigeria Risks Becoming Banana Republic – Ezekwesili

Former Education Minister and ex-vice president of the World Bank’s Africa region, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has fiercely criticised the Nigerian government’s decision to arraign Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on criminal defamation charges.

The case stems from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations of sexual harassment and death threats by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, prompting what Ezekwesili called a “national embarrassment” and an “atrocious injustice”.

In a statement addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Ezekwesili condemned the government’s involvement in what she described as a “shameless saga”, accusing it of misusing power to shield a high-ranking official from scrutiny.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the arraignment, initially scheduled for 3 June, was postponed to 19 June due to a judicial workers’ strike, according to Ezekwesili.

She alleged that the government secretly refiled the charges in a different court without notifying the senator or her legal team, a move she described as underhanded.

“Imagine the horror,” Ezekwesili wrote, noting that one of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers discovered the new charge by chance on the day of the hearing and rushed to court to represent her.

Ezekwesili further claimed that government prosecutors requested a bench warrant for the senator’s arrest, supported by the presence of 10 truckloads of police outside the courtroom.

She questioned the motives behind this “coordinated act of repression”, warning that such actions risked transforming Nigeria into a “banana republic”.

“Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has become a symbol for millions of Nigerians silenced daily for daring to speak truth to power,” Ezekwesili said.

She accused the political class of being ready to “crush any dissent” to maintain control.

“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will not walk alone,” Ezekwesili declared, rallying support for the embattled senator.