Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi West in the Nigerian Senate, has now resubmitted her petition alleging sexual harassment against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
This time, the petiton was signed by her constituents.
During the plenary, Senator Natasha was asked whether the matter was already before any court of law, to which she insisted it was not. Following protocol, she was directed to formally submit the petition, after which it was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct for investigation.
The committee has been given four weeks to conduct its probe and report back to the Senate.
This marks the second time the Kogi Central lawmaker has raised the allegations in the chamber following a previous petition that was dismissed on Wednesday, owing to procedural irregularities.
Meanwhile, there was a slightly tense moment again before the start of Senate plenary as Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Munguno, raised a concern over Senator Natasha’s repeated breach of Senate rules regarding protocol before proceedings.
Citing Order 55, Rule 1, Senator Munguno noted that all senators must stand still upon the entry of the presiding officer until they have taken their seats. He alleged that Senator Natasha had persistently violated this rule, adding that the issue had been widely reported in the media.
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He stated, “I had to send one of the Sergeants-at-Arms to inform her that she was in breach of the rule. Mr. President, if you are seeking refuge under Order 10 of the rule book, then you cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time. It is the institution that she is disrespecting”.
Addressing her directly, he urged her to comply with Senate regulations and avoid further violations.
“Senator Natasha, as my good friend and colleague, please ensure you comply and do not continue breaching the rules,” he said.
