By Sunday Ani
Veteran Journalist and public affairs commentator, Maazi Obinna Oparaku Akuwudike, has dismissed as false and malicious the claims by self-styled female activist that former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, was paid to appear before the Senate Committee investigating sexual harassment allegations against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Speaking on Adeola Fayehun’s YouTube programme, Akuwudike categorically denied such claim, describing it as a deliberate smear campaign targeted at high-profile Nigerians. He said the woman had falsely claimed during a live stream that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan told her in a private phone conversation that there was no sexual harassment and that the accusations against Akpabio were fabricated.
The woman further alleged that Natasha paid Ezekwesili and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) to speak in her defence, a claim Akuwudike said was not only baseless but completely unsupported by the audio the woman circulated, which he confirmed contained no such confession.
Akuwudike disclosed that he was initially engaged by the alleged female activist for a media production assignment, receiving N2.5 million to produce a series of videos intended to malign Senator Natasha. According to him, he considered it a routine professional job until he began to notice inconsistencies and outright fabrications in the woman’s public statements. “It was after hearing her make the controversial allegations during a live stream that I decided to withdraw and go public with the truth.
“It became clear to me that the assignment was part of a calculated blackmail agenda,” he stated.