Ezekwesili Slams Senate For Rejecting Natasha’s Petition

By Akinwale Kasali

The Senate has come under strong criticism from a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, for dismissing the petition filed by the Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged during an interview with Arise TV that her troubles in the Senate began after she rejected sexual advances from Akpabio.

This was followed by a heated argument between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan on the floor of the  Senate over a change in seating arrangements.

She submitted a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio on Wednesday.

However, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions rejected the petition, citing breaches of due process and Senate rules.

In a post on her X page on Thursday, Ezekwesili said the Senate would be doing itself a disservice if it treated the allegation lightly.

She added that the petition must be openly discussed in a public hearing that the accused does not preside over.

She wrote: “Our National Assembly, which comprises the Senate and House of Representatives, belongs to the Nigerian people and not to politicians of any stripe or status,” Ezekwesili said.

“This is why the National Assembly is called a public institution. No individual or group can capture a public institution and use it for personal benefit or advantage.

“Whenever a situation like the one involving Senators Natasha Akpoti and Akpabio arises, lawmakers must understand that the Nigerian public wants transparency and full disclosure.

“Dismissing a serious accusation against the Senate President, as the senators irresponsibly did yesterday, is a democratic aberration. It cannot stand. Never.

“What happened yesterday in the Senate chamber, where a Senate President presided over a grave matter involving him, was farcical and a blot on our democracy.

“It is in the public interest that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition be urgently given the seriousness it deserves to uphold the institutional integrity of our Senate.”

During the plenary on Thursday, the Kogi lawmaker resubmitted her petition against the Senate President but was rejected.

The Senate has  suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, among other disciplinary actions for bringing the name of the Senate President into disreputable.