The Senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions, on Wednesday, dismissed Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, saying it is dead on arrival.
“The petition that she presented today is dead on arrival,” said the committee chairman, Neda Imasuen. “And I said that contrary to Order 40, Subsection 4, which says that no senator may present a petition signed by himself or herself. And that petition, having been signed by her, won’t be entertained by this committee.”
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, earlier submitted a petition against Mr Akpabio over alleged sexual harassment, abuse of office and obstruction of her legislative functions.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan last Friday made serious allegations of sexual assault against Mr Akpabio, saying he asked her to “make me happy” and engage in extramarital affairs if she wanted to have a smooth sail at the National Assembly.
However, Mr Akpabio denied harassing the lawmaker or anyone, stating he was raised well by his parents.
The Senate committee said the petition would not stand, insisting that it was at variance with Senate rule book.
The committee promised to rather consider submissions from other lawmakers regarding the case, vowing to revert to the Senate as promised.
“She is not here. I understand why she’s not here, maybe on the order of her lawyers, ok? That being the case, the committee will sit and deliberate on what we have gotten from distinguished senators who have presented their cases before us and from the Sergeant-at-Arms, and based on our rule book and other documents that are available to us. We will make our decision from here and make our referral to the full Senate,” it insisted.
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan has also obtained an ex parte ruling from the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court to restrain her colleagues at the Senate from taking disciplinary measures against her.
There have been protests with some women demanding that Mr Akpabio step down to allow security agencies to investigate him while other women are labelling Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan a blackmailer, saying, “it is not wrong for a man to look at a woman.”
