Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment petition against Akpabio is dead on arrival, says committee

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions has declared that the petition written by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and obstruction of legislative duties is dead on arrival.

Penpushing reports that Chairman of the Committee, Neda Imasuen (Edo South), made the declaration adding that the petition would not be entertained by the Senate, arguing that Akpoti-Uduaghan violated the rules of the upper chamber by signing the petition herself.

“The petition she presented today is actually dead on arrival and that petitions having been submitted by her will not be entertained by this committee. She’s not here, and I can understand why she’s not here on the orders of her lawyers’, he said.

Penpushing further reports that Imasuen, a member of the Labour Party (LP), dismissing the petition filed by Kogi Central Senator cited a violation of Senate Order 40 (4), which stipulates that no senator may submit a petition personally signed by themselves

The Chairman of the Committee based on this provision, ruled that the committee would not consider Kogi Central Senator allegations against the senate president, while he also addressed an interim order from the Federal High Court in Abuja, which sought to halt the Senate Committee’s investigation into Akpoti-Uduaghan’s alleged misconduct.

Penpushing also reports that he dismissed the court’s directive, arguing that the judiciary has no authority over internal parliamentary proceedings, describing the court order as unacceptable.

“This is unacceptable. If there’s a matter before them, we do not touch such matters. We know as parliamentarians, we know what our rights and privileges are, it is not subjected to any court. Whatever happens in the Senate is not subject to any court. The issue before us has to do with what happened on the floor of the Senate, and there are rules, and it is not subjected to any court’, he declared

Penpushing reports that, Imasuen while rejecting Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition, said the committee would proceed with an investigation into her alleged disorderly conduct on the floor of the Senate.

The committee chairman emphasized that the incident in question involved her refusal to comply with the sitting arrangement during plenary on February 20, 2025, stressing that base on Senate rule book and other documents that are available, the committee will sit on disorderly misconduct.

Penpushing further reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan did not attend the committee’s sitting, while the committee’s ruling suggests that she may not fully understand the Senate’s procedural rules before submitting her petition, by signing the document herself

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