Senate Deputy Whip Onyekachi Nwebonyi has responded to recent developments regarding harassment allegations made by Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan against the Senate President, calling on Nigerians to exercise greater diligence in verifying information before forming opinions.
In an interview with TVC, Senator Nwebonyi firmly rejected the claims that the Senate’s reputation had been damaged by the controversy. “I disagree that our image was tampered with. Our image is intact,” Nwebonyi stated. “Except that from time to time, we can experience distraction, just like you as a person, you can have some distraction from friends and family members.”
The Senate Deputy Whip framed the allegations as politically motivated attempts to undermine the legislature’s work with the current administration. “The National Assembly, particularly the Senate, being the highest law-making body, is standing with the current administration. And I must tell you that this didn’t go down well with some opposition leaders, and that is why they were throwing stones on us just to distract us, but we are focused to serve Nigerians,” he said.
He emphasized that despite the controversy, the Senate has maintained its productivity. “Even in the midst of those distractions, we have been doing our job, passing relevant laws and formulating policies, engaging on other national assignments. So, we’re not distracted, and our image is intact,” he explained.
The senator used the opportunity to call for greater civic responsibility in public discourse. “One thing is clear: Nigerians should try to be patriotic. Nigerians should fail to be gullible; we should try to look at the truth before we respond to issues,” he urged.
Illustrating his point with an analogy, Sen. Nwebonyi noted: “If I call somebody a thief, don’t join me to call the person a thief; try to find out what the accusation is. Has he stolen? Before you can join the person to call that person a thief? But in Nigeria, you can say somebody’s a thief, and people say he’s a thief without investigating to know whether that person is a thief.”
Love Reading Authentic News Stories, Click The Button Below
