A Lawyer Kingdom Okere has condemned the Senate’s decision, dismissing the petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and obstruction of legislative duties.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Okere condemned the move and called on Akpabio to step aside to ensure an impartial investigation.
“You have a huge allegation of sexual harassment, and you cannot continue to sit as the Senate President to preside over her petition against her person,” Okere said.
“We are calling on Akpabio to do the needful—honorably step aside so that this matter can be thoroughly investigated.”
He accused Akpabio of exerting undue influence over the process, noting that as Chairman of the National Assembly, he appoints the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, which ultimately rejected the petition.
“The Senate President cannot be a judge in his own cause. This is a primary principle of law,”Okere added.
He further criticised the apparent double standard in the Senate’s handling of the case. While Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition was dismissed, she is still expected to appear before the same committee over her conduct in plenary.
“You cannot continue to intimidate her by rejecting her petition while at the same time expecting her to face the committee over her conduct,” Okere stated.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions on Wednesday at the plenary, dismissed the petition filed by Kogi Central Senator Natasha, describing it as “dead on arrival.”
Chairman of the Committee, Neda Imasuen (Edo South), cited a violation of Senate Order 40 (4), which stipulates that no senator may submit a petition personally signed by themselves.
Mr Imasuen argued that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition violated the Senate’s procedural rules, as she had personally signed the document.
“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.
