Protesters under the banner of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations have besieged the National Assembly in Abuja, calling on the Senate to halt the confirmation of Prof Abayomi Sunday Fasina as a non-career ambassador.

The demonstrators, drawn from several rights groups, accused the nominee and immediate-past Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, of facing unresolved allegations of sexual harassment, human rights violations and victimisation. They argued that allowing his confirmation to proceed while the matters remain before the courts would undermine Nigeria’s credibility at home and abroad.

President Bola Tinubu had forwarded Fasina’s name to the Senate as part of efforts to fill long-vacant diplomatic posts. But the nomination has triggered a backlash from activists who insist that the Senate must not ignore the pending litigation.

Addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex, legal practitioner Adeyemo Amira, speaking for the coalition, said Fasina has ongoing cases before the National Industrial Court in Lagos and Abuja. She stressed that the groups were not asking lawmakers to assume the role of judges, but to respect the integrity of the judicial process.

According to Amira, confirming a nominee facing grave allegations of sexual misconduct would send the wrong signal about Nigeria’s stance on accountability and gender-based violence. She maintained that the coalition had no personal vendetta against Fasina, but that the issue transcended individual interests and touched on the country’s moral standing.

Co-convener of the protest, Dr Ernest Ogaze, went further, urging the Senate to reject the nomination outright rather than merely suspend it. He warned that proceeding with the confirmation could damage Nigeria’s international image, arguing that the principle of presumption of innocence must be balanced against the seriousness of the allegations and the need to protect the country’s reputation.

Ogaze cited what he described as precedent, referencing the Senate’s refusal to approve the 2009 ambassadorial nomination of Prof Tunde Adeniran, and urged lawmakers to apply a similar standard in Fasina’s case.

The Feminist Manifesto Conference, a coalition of more than 500 civil society organisations, also joined the call. Its representative, Emmanuella Azu, said the group had submitted petitions to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the relevant committee, insisting that confirming Fasina while criminal and civil cases alleging sexual misconduct are pending would contradict Nigeria’s professed commitment to tackling sexual harassment.

Fasina has consistently denied the allegations against him.