A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has berated the Senate for dismissing the petition filed by the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
PUNCH Online reports that on February 20, Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan engaged in a heated debate on the floor of the upper legislative chamber over a change in seating arrangements.
Days later, during an interview on Arise News, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her troubles in the Senate began after she rejected sexual advances from Akpabio.
She submitted a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Wednesday.
However, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions rejected the petition, citing breaches of due process and Senate rules.
In a post on her X page on Thursday, Ezekwesili said the Senate would be doing itself a disservice if it treated the allegation lightly.
She added that the petition must be openly discussed in a public hearing that the accused does not preside over.
“Our National Assembly, which comprises the Senate and House of Representatives, belongs to the Nigerian people and not to politicians of any stripe or status,” Ezekwesili said.
“This is why the National Assembly is called a public institution. No individual or group can capture a public institution and use it for personal benefit or advantage.
“Whenever a situation like the one involving Senators Natasha Akpoti and Akpabio arises, lawmakers must understand that the Nigerian public wants transparency and full disclosure.
“Dismissing a serious accusation against the Senate President, as the senators irresponsibly did yesterday, is a democratic aberration. It cannot stand. Never.
“What happened yesterday in the Senate chamber, where a Senate President presided over a grave matter involving him, was farcical and a blot on our democracy.
“It is in the public interest that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition be urgently given the seriousness it deserves to uphold the institutional integrity of our Senate.”
During the plenary on Thursday, the Kogi lawmaker resubmitted her petition against the Senate President.
However, the Senate’s Ethics Committee recommended Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension for six months for engaging the Senate President in a heated debate over seating arrangements.
