KEY POINTS
- Akpoti-Uduaghan formally accused Akpabio of sexual harassment in a petition.
- Akpabio denied the allegations and urged Nigerians not to assume.
- The Senate referred the petition to the ethics committee for review.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central officially filed a petition on Wednesday, alleging sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpoti-Uduaghan files petition against senate poesident
Citing Order 40 of the Senate Rules, Akpoti-Uduaghan informed lawmakers that she had previously made the accusations in an interview on Arise TV and was now formally presenting them before the Senate.
Akpabio replied by telling her to submit the document. The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct was promptly tasked with reviewing the petition.
Akpabio denied the accusations earlier in plenary, claiming he had never mistreated a lady.
“I have never in my life harassed a woman. My late single mother reared me, and I’ve always respected women,” he said. “I was even named the most gender-friendly governor of Nigeria.”
The Senate president said he was aware of the ongoing discussion on social media and acknowledged that he had received a lot of calls regarding the matter since February 25.
According to Punch, he advised Nigerians to wait for the legal process to conclude rather than making snap judgments.
The filing of the petition has generated a lot of debate, and many people are eager to see how the Senate committee’s review turns out. Akpabio argues that the accusations are unfounded, notwithstanding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s insistence on accountability.
Senate committee to review sexual harassment petition
As the Senate committee starts looking into the allegations, the controversy keeps getting bigger. The development has further stoked discussions about ethics and accountability in Nigerian politics.
As the case develops, everyone is watching to see what the Senate does with the petition and how the ethics committee responds to Akpabio’s accusations.
