By Hassanat Adebowale
The Senate on Wednesday referred a sexual harassment petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP) against Senate President Godswill Akpabio to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions. The petition also accuses Akpabio of abuse of office, and obstructing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legislative duties.
During Wednesday’s plenary, Akpoti-Uduaghan formally presented her petition, stating, “I have a petition against the President of the Nigerian Senate, His Excellency Sen. Godswill Akpabio, for sexual harassment, abuse of office, and malicious obstruction of my legislative functions.” She requested permission to submit the petition, which was granted.
However, the session became contentious when Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno raised objections, citing Senate Order 40(4), which prohibits senators from presenting petitions they authored. Monguno warned that disregarding Senate rules could lead to disorder and argued that the matter was sub judice, as both Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio’s wife had ongoing court cases related to the issue.
Monguno recommended that the petition be referred to the Ethics Committee for review. He stated, “The petitioner, Sen. Natasha, has gone to court in respect of this matter. The wife of the Senate President has equally gone to court. Therefore, the Senate should not entertain this matter.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan countered Monguno’s claims, clarifying that her court case was a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Patrick Mfon, a special assistant to Akpabio, over allegations of cyberbullying and indecent dressing. She insisted that her sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio were not part of any legal proceedings and should be addressed by the Senate.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele supported Monguno’s interpretation of Order 40(4) but emphasized that the Ethics Committee would have the opportunity to address the allegations. “We are guided by rules and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended,” Bamidele said.
In his response, Senate President Akpabio acknowledged the referral of the petition to the Ethics Committee, stating, “The Senate referred her matter not because I’m unaware of the rules, but because people watching from outside may not understand that we are guided by rules.”
The Ethics Committee is expected to review the petition and provide recommendations to the Senate in the coming weeks.
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