The petition on ‘sexual harrassement against the
Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,
representing Kogi Central has been dismissed as Nollywood “content creation”by
the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition.
The committee stated this late Wednesday, while
insisting that “it did not follow the guidelines provided in Order 40,
Subsection 4 of the Senate rule book.”
According to the committee, the rule book stipulates
that no senator may present a petition signed by himself or herself.
The committee chaired by distinguished Senator Neda
Imasuen, representing Edo South Senatorial District, has therefore, said it
would not entertain Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition because it was signed by her,
contrary to the Senate rule book.
“The petition that she presented today is dead on
arrival. And I said that it is 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.
“She is not here. I understand why she’s not here,
maybe on the order of her lawyers.
“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,” the committee explained.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has come under attack for her
incessant accusations of ‘sexual harrassement’ which she consistently leveled
against several men,l in the past.
Some have wondered why the senator had refused to
report the ‘incidents’ as she claimed to her husband, but rather told a lie to
cover her alleged harrassements—especially as she claimed that her husband was
right behind her when Senator Akpabio allegedly harassed her in his country
home.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, yesterday
Midwest Herald investigation showed that, Senator
Akpoti-Uduaghan had been on the entourage of the Senate President on some of
his foreign trips and wonder why she did not refused such offers.
Curiously, the embattled Akpoti-Uduaghan has gone to
the Federal High Court to restrain the Senate from probing her actions on the
floor.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who granted the interim
injunction among others, ordered the National Assembly, Senate and the Senate
Committee on Ethics to suspend the hearing scheduled for Wednesday (yesterday).
The defendants, including the Clerk to the National
Assembly, clerk of the Senate and the Committee on Ethics, were to show cause
within “72 hours why an interlocutory injunction to stop the hearing should not
be granted.”
It will be recall that Natasha had been invited for
the hearing rescheduled to proceed on Wednesday, March 5 over her conduct at
the Senate when she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of victimising
her by reallocating her seat because she refused his sexual advancements.
She went on to accuse the Senate President, Godswill
Akpabio, of sexually harassing her during a live interview on Arise News.
But during plenary yesterday, Akpoti-Uduaghan walked
into the Senate with husband, Mr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to submit a petition
against the Senate President.
It is however doubtful if the Court can “validly
restrain the legislature, an independent arm of government with parliamentary
or legislative power, from performing its functions as enshrined in the
circumscribed.
Why presenting her petition in the Senate, she invoked
under 40 of the Senate Standing Rules to consummate the official presentation
of her allegation immediately after Akpabio’s opening remarks at Wednesday’s
plenary and the Senate granted her permission, after which she laid the
petition.
However, Akpabio had severally denied allegations of
sexual harassment levelled against him by Natasha, stating that he had never
harassed any woman in his life and times.
“At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised
very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for
women,” Akpabio stated.
He also urged Nigerians, the media, and social media
users to She requested permission to lay her petition to those effects before
the Senate.
The Senate subsequently referred her petition to the
Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct for a detailed review.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s accusation stems
from a heated confrontation in February over a seat rearrangement in the Senate
chamber.
The incident later degenerated into a open accusation
in a live television interview granted by the Kogi female politician.
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