Boma Achenimie 
Former presidential spokesman and veteran journalist, Reuben Abati, on Wednesday accused former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of making defamatory statements against Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, amid the sexual harassment allegations against him.
Abati, who spoke on Arise TV’s Morning Show, said Akpabio could legally challenge Atiku to provide evidence supporting his claims.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that in an interview with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie on “Untold Stories,” Atiku accused Akpabio of corruption and sexual misconduct, claiming that the Senate President had a long history of abusing women even before his current political position.
“Not only is he corrupt, but he is also in the habit of abusing women,” Atiku alleged.
“I was not surprised that the state of emergency passed in the National Assembly because I know that the leadership is corrupt, and I have no apologies for saying that.
“They could do anything. The Senate President has been known for such behaviour even when he was a governor.”
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Reacting to Atiku’s remarks, Abati warned that the former Vice President could face legal consequences if he fails to back up his claims with concrete proof.
“In the interview Waziri of Adamawa had with Adesuwa, two major things stood out: first, Waziri referred to Akpabio as always having issues with women, that he has a habit of abusing women, and that he was guilty of corruption.
“I hope that Waziri Adamawa, who has been Vice President of this country, realizes that it’s defamatory because Akpabio may decide to take the option of asking him to prove that he’s guilty of corruption, having not been previously convicted in that regard.”
The controversy follows allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi West), who accused Akpabio of sexual harassment. She claimed that Akpabio deprived her of certain privileges for rejecting his advances.
As of press time, Akpabio has not publicly responded to either Atiku’s allegations or those made by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
