Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, the senate, has refused to consider a sexual harassment petition filed against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The petition was rejected on Wednesday during a charged and tense plenary awash with procedural arguments and heated contestations.
At the start of the session on Wednesday, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan presented the petition, reading it aloud before submitting it to Akpabio, who initially accepted it.
However, commotion ensued as the matter took a different twist when Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Munguno, contested the validity of the petition based on procedural grounds.
Citing Order 40(4) of the Senate rules, Munguno asserted that any contravention of established procedures is a recipe for “chaos and anarchy.” He argued that the petition was procedurally flawed since Senate rules prohibit a senator from personally signing and submitting their own petition. “Senator Natasha had signed her own petition, rendering it invalid,” Munguno declared.
In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that her legal case has nothing to do with sexual harassment but instead focused on derogatory and defamatory remarks made about her dressing. She invoked Order 10, which allows any senator to rise and speak at any time, and maintained that her petition should be considered.
Former Senate Leader, Abdullahi Adamu, who stepped in to calm frayed nerves and douse tensions, suggested that since Akpabio had already accepted the petition, it should be referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct for review.
However, his suggestion further escalated ruckus, leading to a flurry of points of order and a brief commotion in the chamber.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele lent credence to those pushing for the rejection of the petition, insisting that no senator can author and sign their own petition. He also pointed out that the matter was already before the courts, as Akpabio’s wife had initiated legal proceedings, making it sub judice and beyond the Senate’s jurisdiction.
“Mr. President, I sympathize with you as a man being accused of sexual harassment,” Bamidele said. “However, we must be guided by the Constitution and our Rule Book, not emotions. You accepted the petition based on emotion, but we must uphold due process.”
In his defense, Akpabio clarified that his decision to accept the petition was not because he was oblivious to the for Senate rules but rather to avoid any public perception that he was deliberately silencing Akpoti-Uduaghan because he was implicated in the matter.
“I took that petition because I didn’t want people who don’t understand our rules to think I was deliberately silencing her,” Akpabio explained.
Despite attempts to call for a closed-door session, Akpabio ruled that plenary should continue. In the end, the Senate upheld the argument of the Senate Leader and rejected the petition, putting the controversial matter to bed in the legislative chamber.
