The Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions has dismissed a petition bordering on sexual harassment filed by the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Neda Imasuen, stated this on Wednesday during a probe hearing against Akpoti-Uduaghan at the National Assembly.
The Edo South Senator stated that the petition was “dead on arrival,” citing a breach of Order 40 of the Senate Standing Order.
According to Imasuen, Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the petition herself instead of having it endorsed by another individual, rendering it procedurally invalid.
The Edo lawmaker noted that the issues raised in the petition were already in court, making them subjudice.
“The petition that she (Natasha) presented today is actually dead on arrival; it runs contrary to Order 40, Subsection 4, which states that no senator may present to the Senate a petition signed by him or herself. Since that petition was signed by her, it will not be entertained by this committee,” he said.
Despite the committee’s scheduled sitting, Akpoti-Uduaghan failed to appear before the probe panel.
The session, which was scheduled for 2 pm, did not commence until 2:58 pm when the committee’s chairman arrived after waiting for both Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu.
While Adaramodu eventually arrived at 2:50 pm, Akpoti-Uduaghan was absent from the hearing.
Akpabio denies sexual harassment allegations
Meanwhile, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
He reacted to the allegations on Wednesday at the resumption of plenary in the Senate, after a week’s recess.
Dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.”
The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse, urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from drawing conclusions and instead await the court’s decision on the matter.
However, immediately after his remarks, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised a petition under Order 40, accusing the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office.
She requested permission to step forward and formally lay the petition before the chamber.
The Senate subsequently referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, directing it to review the matter as soon as practicable.
The Senate was hit by controversy in February when a seat rearrangement escalated into a confrontation between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate President.
The dispute over the seat has sparked tensions within the Senate, leading to the allegation of sexual harassment by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, and raising fresh concerns about decorum and conduct within the legislative body.
On Wednesday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at the Senate Chamber in the company of her husband amid the controversy.
In a brief but affectionate moment, the Senator shared a kiss with her husband before proceeding into the chamber to take her seat.
After taking her place in her newly assigned seat, she, however, refused to stand upon the arrival of Akpabio for the commencement of plenary, a deviation from the customary show of respect for the presiding officer.
Protesters clash at National Assembly entrance
The entrance of the National Assembly on Wednesday witnessed a fight between protesting supporters of the President of Akpabio, and those of Akpoti-Uduaghan, who accused him of sexual harassment.
The supporters could be seen with placards showing different inscriptions while chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the placards seen with the Senate President’s supporters claimed that he “did nothing but treat Natasha as his daughter,” while others stated that he’s innocent of the allegation against him.
Right opposite them were Natasha’s supporters with placards saying, “I stand with Natasha,” as they sang to overshadow the voices from the other party.
Natasha’s supporters also demanded Akpabio’s resignation over the allegation against him.
Shortly after the drama began, Natasha arrived in a black vehicle and was welcomed like a hero by her supporters.
However, a fight broke out between the two groups when a shouting match wasn’t enough to prove superiority or silence the other party.
It took the intervention of security operatives to restore order at the entrance of the National Assembly to enable other lawmakers to arrive for plenary.
After finding her way into the Senate chambers, Natasha submitted a petition against Akpabio, accusing him of sexual harassment and abuse of office.
The petition was submitted at plenary days after she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment on national television.