LAFIA/Nigeria: Women from Nigeria’s North Central zone have called on President Bola Tinubu to resist what they described as a growing tendency toward political oppression, particularly targeted at female leaders, warning that such actions could undermine democracy and sow seeds of instability in the country.
In a strongly worded statement released Saturday in Lafia and signed by the Chairperson of the North Central Women Front (NCWF), Mrs. Mary Adamu, the group condemned the Federal Government’s recent lawsuit against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing it as an unjustifiable attempt to silence a vocal advocate for justice and fairness.
“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s rights are slowly being extinguished. Her complaints, protests, and appeals are now treated as seditious murmurings,” the statement read. “This lawsuit sends the wrong message — one of political suppression and gender-based marginalization.”
The women cautioned the Federal Government against creating an atmosphere that justifies political anarchism, stressing that the crisis rocking the 10th Senate cannot be resolved through what they termed “shameful and oppressive tactics.”
They urged President Tinubu to take a firm stand against the political confrontation between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisting that only a sincere and moral approach rooted in justice and reconciliation can restore peace and credibility to the Senate.
“The problem in the Senate cannot be resolved in this manner,” the statement warned. “It is by going to the root that you will find the solution to a number of problems plaguing the 10th Senate.”
Mrs. Adamu advised President Tinubu to demonstrate leadership by instructing the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to immediately withdraw the lawsuit against Akpoti-Uduaghan, adding that resorting to legal intimidation reflects poorly on the administration’s commitment to democratic values.
The women also hailed Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for what they called her “honest heart and courage,” while condemning the activities of “fierce and brutal men” whose methods, they said, have brought shame to the nation’s political culture.
They concluded with a call for the President to “apply human wisdom, follow public reason, and act aright,” reminding him that the fate of democracy and the integrity of his administration are closely tied to how he treats dissent, especially when it comes from women in leadership.
