Why the Senate threw out Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s s£xual harassment claim

Nigerian Senate recently dismissed a petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of s£xual harassment.

The petition, which had garnered attention after Akpoti-Uduaghan publicly raised concerns about Akpabio’s conduct, was deemed procedurally invalid by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions.

Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), who chairs the committee, made the announcement during a probe session on Wednesday.

He described the petition as “dead on arrival,” citing a breach of Senate procedural rules.

According to Imasuen, one of the key issues was that Akpoti-Uduaghan had signed the petition herself instead of having it endorsed by another senator, which is a requirement under the Senate Standing Orders.

This technicality rendered the petition invalid in the eyes of the committee.

Another critical factor in the dismissal was that the issues raised in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition were already before the court, a situation referred to as being “sub judice.”

This legal principle prohibits the Senate from investigating matters that are actively being litigated in the courts. As a result, the petition could not proceed within the Senate’s internal processes.

Adding to the drama of the session, Akpoti-Uduaghan did not attend the committee’s sitting, which had been scheduled for 2:00 PM.

The session was delayed until 2:58 PM, as committee members waited for both Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) to arrive. While Adaramodu showed up at 2:50 PM, Akpoti-Uduaghan was absent when the session officially commenced.