Senate: Natasha’s Petition is “Content Creation”…Akpabio Denies Sexual Harrassement Allegations

By Correspondent

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.

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.

Read Also: Sex in Nigerian Senate: Akpabio’s Wife Drags Natasha to Court, Demands 250bn