…Akpoti-Uduaghan fails to appear before probe committee
…Allegations plot by opposition to derail productive relationship between Tinubu, NASS – APC Forum
…Court Stops Senate Disciplinary Action Against Natasha
The Senate has dismissed a petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in which she alleged sexual harassment.
Speaking at a probe session on Wednesday, Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, declared the petition “dead on arrival,” citing a breach of Order 40 of the Senate Standing Orders.
According to Imasuen, Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the petition herself, instead of having it endorsed by another individual, rendering it procedurally invalid. Additionally, he noted that the issues raised in the petition were already in court, making them sub judice.
Despite the committee’s scheduled sitting, Akpoti-Uduaghan failed to appear before the probe panel. The session, set for 2:00 PM, did not commence until 2:58 PM when the committee’s chairman arrived after waiting for both Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South). While Adaramodu eventually arrived at 2:50 PM, Akpoti-Uduaghan was absent as the session began.
The matter was referred to the Ethics Committee two weeks ago following Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions during a plenary session. Senate President Akpabio subsequently directed the committee to conduct a thorough investigation and report back within two weeks.
During deliberations, Adaramodu informed the Senate that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s public challenge of the Senate President over her seat allocation had damaged the Senate’s image. He also referenced an interview she granted to Brekete Family on Human Rights Radio and TV, where she reiterated her allegations against Akpabio.
Following these discussions, the Senate resolved to push the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, led by Senator Neda Imasuen, for further review.
Natasha: Allegations plot by opposition to derail productive relationship between Tinubu, NASS – APC Forum
The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has described the sexual harassment allegations leveled against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as a script by opposition political parties.
The APC Forum equally warned against what it described as a plot to cause a breakdown of law and order in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and destabilize the President Bola Tinubu administration.
The warning followed the ‘Akpabio Must Go’ protests at the National Assembly and parts of the FCT on Wednesday, as Natasha’s supporters called on the Senate President to step down pending investigations into the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him.
The protesters, who arrived at the National Assembly gate as early as 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, carried banners with inscriptions such as ‘Akpabio Must Go’ and ‘Protect Women’s Rights.’ They demanded accountability and urged the Senate to investigate Akpabio over the accusations.
Reacting to the development in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the North-Central APC Forum, in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC presidential campaign council in the 2023 election, said the protesters were mobilized to cause unrest and anarchy in the FCT.
The APC Forum issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the protesters to vacate the streets of the FCT.
“We are putting the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, DSS, and other security agencies on the alert over the plot to cause anarchy and unrest in the FCT by sponsored protesters who have been mobilized to cause trouble to advance the political agenda of the opposition.
“We are, by this statement, giving the protesters and their sponsors 24 hours to vacate the streets of the FCT. As stakeholders of the North-Central, which includes the FCT, we can’t stand by and watch as hoodlums and anarchists cause a breakdown of law and order in the capital city, which has been known for peace and tranquility since the coming of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Failing to vacate the streets of the FCT in 24 hours, we will mobilize our people to counter them,” parts of the statement read.
Insisting that the sexual harassment allegations were part of a plot to blackmail Akpabio and discredit the APC government, the Forum said there is no evidence that the Senate President committed the alleged offense.
Noting that records show that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was not the only senator to have had her seat reallocated in the chamber, the APC Forum wondered why she did not raise the sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio until she was to be investigated by the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for breaching the rules of the Senate.
“Does it mean that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would have kept silent on the purported sexual harassment if Senate President Godswill Akpabio had not referred her to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for investigation for breach of Senate Rules?
“Senate President Godswill Akpabio has proved himself to be an effective leader of the National Assembly, leading to a harmonious and productive relationship between the executive and the legislature, which has enabled President Bola Tinubu’s government to initiate and implement several transformative reforms.
“What is playing out in the Senate at the moment is a script by the opposition to destabilize the National Assembly and, by extension, the administration of President Bola Tinubu by derailing the fruitful working relationship between the executive and the legislature.
“We urge all members of our party and well-meaning Nigerians to rise up against this sinister plot, which should not be allowed to succeed.
“The North-Central APC Forum is also calling on the Senate and the National Assembly as a whole not to be distracted by the antics of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and her co-travelers, whose motive is to destabilize the system for their selfish political interests,” the statement added.
Although Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan represents Kogi Central Senatorial District of Kogi State, in the North-Central, the Forum stressed that stakeholders of the zone are not in support of her actions.
“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is from our zone, but as stakeholders of the North-Central, we disown her actions, which we believe are not in the interest of the progress and development of the region and the country as a whole,” the statement said.
Salient Times reports that Akpabio, during plenary on Wednesday, denied the sexual harassment allegations against him, saying he never harassed any woman.
Earlier, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had tendered a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio. The petition was submitted on the floor of the upper legislative chamber after the Senate resumed plenary.
The Senate had earlier said it was not investigating the allegations because there was no formal petition against Akpabio.
Court Stops Senate Disciplinary Action Against Natasha
Meanwhile, Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from conducting disciplinary proceedings against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Justice Egwuatu issued the order following an ex parte application filed by counsel for Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had been invited to appear before the senate’s disciplinary committee following an altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio on February 20, 2025.
According to the document, the Kogi senator prayed that the court grant an order restraining the Senate and its ethics committee from “proceeding with the purported investigation” against her.
Akpoti-Uduaghan asked the court to grant an order “declaring that any action taken during the pendency of this suit is null, void, and of no effect whatsoever”.
The Kogi senator also prayed for a court order allowing the defendants to be served with the originating summons and other related documents through substituted means.
“An order of this honourable court granting an Interim Injunction restraining the 2nd Defendant/Defendant’s Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Code of Conduct headed by the 4th Defendant from proceeding with the purported investigation against the Plaintiff/Applicant for alleged misconduct sequel to the events that occurred at the plenary of the 2nd Defendant on the 20th day of February, 2025, pursuant to the referral by the 2nd Defendant on 25th February, 2025 pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction,” a part of the application read.
In his verdict, the presiding judge ruled that the defendants should come and show cause within 72 hours, upon the service of the order, why an interlocutory injunction should not be issued against them.
Justice Egwuatu granted the prayer that the defendants should be served by substituted means.
The judge adjourned the case to March 10, 2025, for the defendants to show why the applicant’s reliefs should not be granted.
