During a plenary session, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, once again filed a sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio on behalf of her Zubairu Yakubu-led constituency.
Senate President Akpabio expressed worries about potential legal barriers to the petition’s acceptance after it was submitted. He was reassured by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan that there were no such obstacles.
Akpabio gave her instructions to formally submit the petition to the Senate at exactly 12:38 PM.
The petition was then 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 to the plenary within four weeks after conducting a thorough legislative review.
This new petition follows a similar one submitted by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan the day before, which had ignited controversy.
During the previous session, Senate Chief Whip Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North) raised a point of order under Senate Standing Order 40, arguing that the petition could not be entertained due to an ongoing court case involving Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of Senate President Akpabio.
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Monguno also contended that the petition was invalid because Akpoti-Uduaghan had personally signed it.
As a result, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed the petition, declaring it “dead on arrival.”
This latest development adds to the growing tensions between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Akpabio.
Last Thursday, a heated confrontation took place in the Senate chamber when Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived to find her nameplate removed and her seat reassigned by Akpabio.
She immediately demanded an explanation for what she saw as an unjustified action, further intensifying the ongoing dispute.
