![Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele[PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Opeyemi Bamidele]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2024/08/Opeyemi-Bamidele-e1779121303512.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1)
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has denied allegations by suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, that he threatened to make her “go down” if the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, “goes down” through criticisms from her supporters.
Mr Bamidele who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, admitted that he called Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan on the phone at the time she stated, but that he made the call as an attempt to reconcile her with Mr Akpabio following the controversy surrounding his “nightclub” remark the senate president made in July 2024.
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He spoke on the issue during Thursday’s plenary when senators debated Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.
“I listened to distinguished Senator Natasha on Arise News and I am saying to all my distinguished colleagues that I have no regrets about what she said about me. She said I called her at exactly 13 minutes past 12, I have no regrets. Everyone of you know it is characteristic of my own leadership role to try to reconcile everybody,” he said .
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Background of the controversy
The dispute began after Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan accused the senate president of sexual harassment, claiming he made inappropriate remarks and advances towards her.
She made the allegations during an interview with Arise Television last Friday.
The senator also alleged that Mr Bamidele called her late at night and warned that she would “go down” if Mr Akpabio continues to face criticism as a result of the “nightclub” comment.
Mr Bamidele, however, explained that his intention was to mediate the conflict between her and the senate president.
What happened during the phone call
Mr Bamidele said he approached the senate president and urged him to publicly apologise to Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan but he initially resisted.
He said after he persisted on his request, Mr Akpabio later agreed to apologise to Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“I went to the senate president and I got there that night. I said, “sir, tomorrow in the chamber you will have to tender a public apology to distinguished Senator Natasha. I beg you in the name of God because of your office. I understand what you said, it is different from the way you’re interpreting it by saying she should not speak as if she was in the night club. And Mr President, you explained again that what you meant by night club is that it is only in the nightclub that everybody try to raise their voice above the volume of the music.’ And I said ‘Sir, I understand you but tomorrow you’ll need to explain that to her and other Nigerian women and apologise to her.” he added.
Following his persistent request for public apology, Mr Bamidele said the senate president asked him if he had also spoken to Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s over the issue.
The senate leader said Mr Akpabio’s advice was what prompted him to call Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan over the telephone around midnight.
“And you (Akpabio) asked me a question that ‘’why is it that you’re always coming to me to talk. Have you called Senator Natasha? Everybody is dragging me on the social media, the bloggers. Have you called her?’
“I picked my phone to call Senator Natasha, placing her on speaker, DSP (Deputy Senate President) was there and two other of our colleagues. And I called. I didn’t think that 12 midnight was anytime that we wouldn’t still be awake as senators. We go to bed at 2 a.m., 3 a.m. People who are dragging us on social media should know that,” he stated.
What she stands to gain
Mr Bamidele explained that the major thing he discussed with Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan during the telephone call was to persuade her and specifically asked her what she stood to gain from the criticisms on social media against the senate president.
“When I called Distinguished Senator Natasha, the first thing I said was ‘Distinguished I am sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you up?’ She said ‘no sir I am still at work. You know I can’t be sleeping by this time.’ And I said, ‘how is my brother?(referring to her husband)? She said ‘he’s fine and right here.’ And I said,’ I only called you to ask you a question.’ She said, what? I said ‘my dear sister, what would you gain because I am reading what all these people are saying on social media. And I said ‘what would you gain if the senate president goes down? What did you stand to benefit?’
“That was just the discussion. And she was talking. She said ‘I didn’t start this fight.’ As she was talking my telephone started saying “reconnecting’, meaning that the network was failing. I cut it off and called back. As as soon as I called back, Mr President, you took over the discussion – even that you were talking to a friend’s wife who said her husband was by her side. And you said ‘princess of the Senate, why are your people dragging me? And we discussed all of these.”
Mr Bamidele said Mr Akpabio later joined the conversation and spoke with Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan, about a pending nomination for the public complaint commission.
“At the end of the discussion you spoke with the husband and reminded the husband about a pending nomination that he was supposed to make for Delta State. And I thought that was the height of it, Mr President, for nominating people who will serve in a Public Complaint Commission. Her husband is not the Governor of Delta, he’s not a senator from Delta. That was the height of respect you could have for anybody by asking her husband to submit nominee for a five-year tenure in public service, that was how we rounded off that discussion,” he said.
READ ALSO: My suspension unjust, violates principles of natural justice – Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Call for investigation
Mr Bamidele called on the State Security Service (SSS) and other inteligence agencies to investigate the call records for that day to verify his claims.
“But, I listened to Distinguished Senator Natasha on Arise Television. She recalled the matter last week on Arise and simply said I called her at 13 minutes past 12, middle of the night to threaten her and said if SP goes down, you too must go down.
“I never said so, and I called on the DG DSS (SSS) and the security agencies who have unrestricted access to telecommunication network to please recall the discussion that I had with the same Senator Natasha on my phone.
“For me, if somebody says something that i know to be a blatant lie, it will be difficult for me to believe any other thing you say. That is why when she proceeded later that she was sexually harassed, ‘senate president took me round his house and he was holding my hand with my husband following and he told me do you like this sitting room, if you like it I’ll bring you back here so that we can be by ourselves’. There was no way I’ll believe all of that.”
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