The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has once again submitted a sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session.
This time, the petition was presented on behalf of her constituents, led by Zubairu Yakubu. Following her submission, Senate President Akpabio inquired whether any legal impediments existed in accepting the petition, to which Akpoti-Uduaghan responded in the negative. At 12:38 PM, Akpabio instructed her to formally lay the petition before the Senate.
The matter has been referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), with a directive to report back within four weeks after legislative review.
This latest development follows a similar petition submitted by Akpoti-Uduaghan the previous day, which was dismissed after Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North) raised a point of order citing Senate Standing Order 40. Monguno argued that the petition was sub judice due to an ongoing court case involving Akpoti-Uduaghan and Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of the Senate President. He also contended that the petition could not be entertained since Akpoti-Uduaghan had personally signed it. Consequently, the Senate Ethics Committee declared the petition “dead on arrival.”
Tensions between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio have been escalating in recent weeks. Just last Thursday, a confrontation erupted in the Senate chamber when Akpoti-Uduaghan protested the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio. Upon arrival at the session, she found her nameplate removed and her seat reassigned, prompting her to demand an explanation.
The resubmission of this petition is expected to further intensify the ongoing friction between the two lawmakers.
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