•Declare her a heroine and urge Senate not to plunge Nigeria into chaos

South-South women involved in politics on Friday advised the leadership of the Senate and the Committee on Ethics not to plunge the country into chaos by mishandling the case involving the Senator representing Kogi Central, Chief Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

They applauded the Senator for her courage, boldness and contribution to nation-building, saying: “Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is an hero and a source of permanent and daily inspiration in Nigeria and on the continent.”

The women In a statement in Asaba, capital of Delta State, urged the Senate Ethics Committee not to recommend decisions which have been decided by special interests.

“The Ethics Committee should identify and diagnose the crisis and its roots. We are not expecting banal and destructive recommendations on this issue,” they said.

In the statement entitled “Alienation of Women politicians in Nigeria, fatal misunderstanding, bullying, the rule of conduct in the Senate, abuse of power and precarious authority”, the women condemned the threat of illegal actions, discrimination, victimization and other forms of segregation based purely on gender.

“One of the most popular and leading labels often put on responsible and successful women by the detractors is that they are rude. That label certainly does not apply in the case of the recent incident. Even if male politicians and their female lackeys in Nigeria were to shout from the rooftops in an attempt to make the label stick, the facts of the incident will not allow it,” they said.

The statement issued by the Chairman of South-South Women in Politics, Chief Rita Okonji, urged the principal officers and members of the Senate to treat themselves like brothers and sisters and not shy away from the central contention in the recent event.

“Don’t resist the voice of honour and reason. Don’t insult the intelligence of the Nigerian woman. Don’t make your colleagues objects of ridicule in the eyes of the world for selfish interests. Don’t be too bitter against one another, no matter the differences,” the women said.

They specifically called for complete change in attitude and drastic reorganization of thinking habits as well as in the relationship between male and female politicians in the country.

According to them, “Our dignity and survival are seriously being jeopardized through conscious and deliberate actions by the male politicians in the country. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent action is very healthy and provides the beginning for a genuine change in male’s attitude to women in the country. We hope that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s action will accelerate the efforts to achieve strong voice and respect for women.”

The women urged male politicians in the country to dedicate themselves to the precepts and practice of democracy.

“Another matter relating to the state of our nation today which we have to be vigilant about is the moves to shut women out of the system. The dangerous aspect of this is the country’s drift Into becoming a government of only men,” they said.

The statement while emphasizing compromises and persuasions urged bootlickers of a divisive and evil system to move away from attitudes and appearances detrimental to women’s progress in the country.

“How can we be led to believe that individuals full of self-hatred and contempt for women in Nigeria can suddenly become defenders of our interests? The male politicians in the country lack any substantive reasons to give for the recent incident. They simply beat about the bush with meaningless phrases,” the women said.

They reaffirmed that they will support Akpoti-Uduaghan and other female politicians in whatever difficulties they may face in the country.

“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a good woman, and an upright and virtuous patriot. We bear malice or ill will to none and our reaction is solely in support of gender understanding and human love,” the women said.