Women Professionals in Politics (WPI) have called on the Senate hierarchy to ignore a petition submitted against the ministerial nomination of the Executive Director of NEXIM Bank, Hon Stella Okotete.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday and signed by the group’s President, Dr Damilola Balogun, called on the Senate President, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio to dismiss the petitions as coming from inconsequential elements who are threatened by the rise of a young, smart and brilliant lady.
They called on the petitioners to retrace their steps and apologize to Hon Stella Okotete who has demonstrated for years that she has the interest of women and youths at heart by virtue of the innovations and programmes she introduced in other to promote the course of women in politics and business.
The statement reads in part “We can no longer be silent. This persecution of one of our own is becoming annoying and we are willing and ready to stand in solidarity for her. The hood job she is doing at NEXIM Bank is verifiable and it won’t cost the supposed lawyer nothing to visit schools where she had studied to confirm her academic status.
“However, we are not perplexed because all the innuendos points to the fact that they have a sponsor whose stock in trade is to bring women down and afflict them with emotional blackmail. But in this case, they have failed because Okotete is a different breed. She knows her onion and will not allow herself to be dragged in the mud.”
“We make bold to state that this individuals are cheap blackmailers who are looking for bribes and other material things to better their lives.
“We call.on the Police force to clamp down on these unscrupulous elements who are bent on rubbishing the good jobs of Hon Okotete who has been above board in all her dealings.
“We thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his Vice, Kashim Shettima for deeming it fit to to appoint Okotete and we vouch for her impeccable integrity to deliver programmes that will support the course of the people”
