By Ejiro Nesisa
The husband of Senator, Natasha Hadiza Akpoki, High Chief Emmanuel O. Uduaghan said, he has initially resolved to avoid comments over the dispute between his wife, Senator Natasha and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and treat the matter in a friendly way otherwise, his wife confided in him the interactions the Senate President had with his wife.
In a press statement signed by High Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan and made available to newsmen, he said when he got wind of the matter, he approached the matter with maturity as he personally met the Senate President and he had expected him to honour his wife the same way. According to him, he did so because he is a traditional leader who has respect for constituted authority, uphold core family values to bring about unity and love.
His words:” l personally met with the Senate President and l respectfully urged him to extend the courtesy and respect my wife deserves while also honouring the friendship between us. We reached an understanding and agreed to resolve the issue amicably”
Uduaghan said, he has to break the silence because of the dimension the dispute between them( Akpabio and Natasha) is taking adding that, as it stands, it is obvious that certain sentiments are being stirred up to unnecessarily distract the underlying seriousness of the allegation, which to him, should have been a concern of individual with sound family values.
According to him, his wife is a devoted wife as they shared bond and she has been truthful to him amidst all odds as he can not trade her for anything because of her loyalty and faith in their marriage. He said, instead of the matter being resolved amicably as expected and agreed upon, the matter became worse as his wife continued to express concern about the harassment she has endured from the Senate President.
According to him, the wife’s position should not be taken for granted in the Senate because she was duly elected by her people to give quality representation.
His words:” Without Prejudice to the ongoing legal proceedings, l wish to emphasize that my wife was duly elected by her people due to the immense love, respect and confidence they have in her and she is committed to delivering quality representation to her district and the nation at large”
He therefore called on the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Senate President to treat his wife with respect and dignity she deserves while the relevant authority and the court determine the underlying issue.