Alleged sexual molestation: Patricia Yakubu’s alarm against the run of play

By Tabitha Lawrence

All my life, I had stood behind women especially vulnerable ones, those who came under gross abuses or whose fundamental rights were infringed. I always go through tremendous mental and/or phycological torture whenever I learnt that women’s rights are abused especially in connection with sexual molestation or gender based violence.

But despite my innate inhibitions against any form of violation, abuse or molestation against women, and for the first time, I would not tow the line of a woman who is crying horse over alleged sexual molestation.

To be frank, I was gripped by anxiety, trepidation and anger when I first saw the allegation of sexual molestation by such a ranking party official making me to cringe in disbelief. I conjured a mental picture that if a woman occupying such a highly sensitive position in the society could be so openly molested with impunity, then the scourge of GBV has gone beyond all tolerable limits.

Despite the weight of the issue, as a woman of conscience, I did the honourable; embarked on a fact finding mission so as to have the facts of the matter in order to make an informed decision and plan ahead.

My inquiries led me to very startling and disturbing discoveries. First, I found that Patricia Yakubu was under investigation over alleged misappropriation of N8m belonging to her party in addition to allegation of diverting about 2,500 fabrics meant for onward distribution to women of the party.

To that effect, the party set up an adhoc investigation committee to give the women leader ample opportunity to clear her name, but against the run of play, Patricia Yakubu frittered away such opportunity on trivial grounds.

To my surprise, Patricia also failed to produce any materia evidence to prove the allegation of sexual molestation meted to her by the secretary of the party, Dr. Raymond Chidama. Most importantly, my search led me to understand that Patricia did not lodge official complaint to the party and also failed to produce a shred of evidence even after the party dared her to do so.

It was in the midst of the insistence of the party to prove the women leader that the said allegations of sexual molestation and other sundry matters sprouted up. So to my eternal surprise and consternation, Patricia, a woman in her sixties devised a means of escaping the allegations of gross misconduct brought against her by courting undeserved public sympathy via media hype.

By that sligh of the hand, she has lost an ample opportunity to prove her case beyond reasonable doubt which is the only ground for which she will get the support of the civil society and other champions of human rights like myself.

Another error of judgement committed by the women leader was divulging an internal party issue which I believe is a gross violation of party statues and principle of oath of secrecy. Such findings for the first time in my carrier made me to avoid an alleged sexual molestation by a woman with a ten mile pole. I advise Patricia to tow the line of honor and produce substantial evidence and be rest assured we will traverse the trenches with her.

Lawrence, a GBV advocate writes from Abuja.