Key Points
- A heated session took place at the hearing while Oby Ezekwesili and Senator Nwaebonyi engaged in a dispute.
- The Petitioner protested against the Senate committee when they accused the panel of partiality and stated their case for removal from the hearing.
- Ezekwesili deemed the Senate’s approach to be unconstitutional.
On Tuesday a heated confrontation emerged between former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili and Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi while they attended a Senate hearing to review evidence about misconduct related to Godswill Akpabio who served as Senate President.
Ezekwesili and Senator clash took place when the Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges along with Public Petitions was conducting its session. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan presented her petition to the committee through counsel Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi together with chief petitioner Zubairu Yakubu of Kogi Central.
Petitioner questions committee chair’s impartiality
The conflict started when Yakubu demanded Senator Neda Imasuen to remove himself from proceeding with the case. The petitioner questioned the validity of the process since the chairman had displayed his support early on which he claimed led to a fixed outcome.
The chairman should refrain from judging cases when his preexisting public comments display partiality toward one side. Yakubu asked. We have no reason to present our case because the verdict has already been established through premature hearing.
The chairman alleged that his colleagues had personal connections to Akpabio so they should withdraw from the case due to their inability to maintain impartiality. The remarks from Yakubu received strong backlash from lawmakers who claimed he was working to damage the committee’s fairness.
Ezekwesili and Senator clash, Nwaebonyi exchanged insults with Ezekwesili
The encounter worsened when Ezekwesili demanded to take an oath for making a statement since she attended to support the petitioner. Before the meeting I requested to swear an oath as a participating witness. She insisted that she was a member of Nigeria’s citizenry.
Nwaebonyi lost control of his temper and yelled loudly to Ezekwesili: “You’re a fool. What do you mean? Your manner of speaking toward me makes no sense. You’re an insult to womanhood. It is inappropriate for your type of person to be present here.
Ezekwesili then responded by addressing Nwaebonyi as a “hooligan” as the raging argument interrupted the hearing until session control was established.
Hearing adjourned indefinitely
At the conclusion of the outburst Senator Patrick Ndubueze from Imo West requested attendees to keep Senate decorum in mind. According to him people should avoid conduct typical of marketplace crowds. According to the Constitution the National Assembly serves as the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Both Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio faced judicial proceedings at this time thus prompting the indefinite suspension of the hearing. The lawmaker representing Kogi state in the upper chamber failed to be present thereby becoming another factor which led to the ongoing investigation being postponed.
Ezekwesili expressed dissatisfaction with the Senate by showing how they chose their internal regulations above their constitutional responsibilities outside the hearing. The procedure amounted to a “gross violation” of the Nigerian Constitution according to her words and she stated this type of conduct would decrease democratic oversight mechanisms.
The Nigerian Senate demands that citizens follow their internal rules which these rules contradict the national Constitutional framework. Ezekwesili condemned the situation as undemocratic because it should not occur in a system based on popular rule.
Ezekwesili criticized the Senate for misusing their authority to suspend Akpoti-Uduaghan because she believed this action aimed to prevent future opposition challenges.
The democratic system faces a threat of turning into a control system where influential figures use procedural manipulation to silence justice according to Ezekwesili.
