There was slight drama in the Senate on Thursday as Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Adams Oshiomhole disagreed over the confirmation of Professor Abayomi Fasina as a non-career ambassadorial designate amid sexual harassment allegations against him.
The disagreement arose when Oshiomhole argued that endorsing
a nominee facing sexual harassment allegations would send the wrong message,
particularly to Nigerian women.
“Nigerian women have brought to the attention of this Senate
that the professor in question has been accused by two women, not just orally,
and these issues are pending before different courts. I think the general view
is that nobody says he is guilty; he is presumed to be innocent until proven
guilty. But, as a matter of sensitivity, for the Senate to endorse a man who
faces cases like that would amount to being insensitive to the feelings of
women because it’s not just one woman; there are two women making different
allegations.
“So, I thought that in matters like this, it would be more
prudent to wait and ask the man to clear himself before the court,” Oshiomhole
said.
Recall that the disagreement occurred shortly before the
confirmation of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University
Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Professor Abayomi Fasina, as a non-career ambassadorial
designate.
The confirmation followed the consideration of the report of
the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Senator Sani Bello (APC,
Niger North), which was presented by Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South).
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