Senator Natasha resubmits petition, insists Akpabio harassed her

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, has resubmitted a sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session.

This time, she submitted the petition on behalf of her constituents, led by Zubairu Yakubu. Following the submission, Senate President Akpabio asked if there were any legal impediments to accepting the petition. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan confirmed that there were none, and at 12:38 PM, Akpabio instructed her to formally present the petition before the Senate.

The petition 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 a legislative review.

This latest submission comes on the heels of a similar petition the day before, which had already stirred controversy. At that time, Senate Chief Whip Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North) raised a point of order, citing Senate Standing Order 40.

He argued that the matter was sub judice due to an ongoing court case involving Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of Senate President Akpabio, and maintained that the petition should not be considered since it was personally signed by Akpoti-Uduaghan. Consequently, the Senate Ethics Committee had dismissed that petition as “dead on arrival.”

The resubmitted petition further intensifies the ongoing tensions between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Akpabio, following last Thursday’s heated confrontation when Akpoti-Uduaghan protested the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio, after finding her nameplate removed and her seat reassigned.