Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Resubmits Sexual Harassment Petition Against Senate President Godswill Akpabio

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has resubmitted a sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio after the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions rejected her initial petition.

Key Developments:

• The new petition, filed by her constituents, was presented during Thursday’s plenary.
• Akpabio inquired if there were any legal barriers to accepting the petition, to which Akpoti-Uduaghan responded ‘none’.
• The petition was formally laid before the Senate and referred back to the Ethics Committee for review, with a directive to report back in four weeks.

Background

• Akpoti-Uduaghan first presented the petition at Wednesday’s plenary, which the Ethics Committee dismissed as “dead on arrival.”
• The rejection followed a point of order raised by Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno North), who argued that:
  • The matter was sub judice due to an ongoing court case between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Ekaette Akpabio (Akpabio’s wife).
  • The petition was invalid because Akpoti-Uduaghan personally signed it instead of her constituents.

With the petition now resubmitted and properly filed, the Senate Ethics Committee, led by Senator Neda Imasuen, is expected to review the allegations and present its findings within four weeks.