Tensions ran high on Tuesday during the hearing of a sexual harassment petition filed by Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the members of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Petitions engaged in a heated exchange with former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili.
While the senators engaged Ezekwesili in a war of words, the Independent National Electoral Commission gave the embattled Kogi lawmaker temporary respite as it faulted the petitioners for not complying with the recall guidelines.
According to The PUNCH, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate on March 6 following a heated disagreement with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over a new seating arrangement, which she alleged was designed to undermine her.
The crisis escalated when Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio on national television of punishing her for rejecting his purported sexual advances.
Subsequently, the Senate leadership suspended her for six months and ordered her security aides to withdraw.
Following this, the embattled lawmaker submitted a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Petitions, which held a hearing on Tuesday.
Signs that the proceeding at the Senate may not end well emerged when a petitioner from Kogi Central, Suberu Yakubu, his legal counsel, Abiola Akinyode and Ezekwesili, who appeared before the committee as a witness, accused the senators of bias and unfair handling of the petition filed against the Senate President by the suspended lawmaker’s constituents.
But things got to a head when the petitioner urged the Chairman of the committee, Senator Neda Imasuen, to step down over the manner he has so far handled the sexual harassment petition against Akpabio.
“How can the chairman serve as a judge in a case where he has already publicly taken a position? What is the need for us to present our case when a verdict has already been given before hearing us?” Yakubu queried.
He further alleged that some committee members had ties to Akpabio, which, in his view, compromised their ability to be neutral.
The statement infuriated the committee members, who berated Yakubu for attempting to dent the integrity of the panel.
The lawmakers also chided Ezekwesili for attempting to “force herself into the narrative” under the guise of being a witness.
Heated debate in Senate
However, Ezekwesili insisted on being heard out. She said, “I asked to be put on oath as a witness. I am a citizen of Nigeria.” But she was shouted down by the lawmakers.
As the tension continued to build, the ex-minister and the lawmaker representing Ebonyi North, Senator Peter Nwebonyi, engaged in a shouting match.
“You can’t sit there as senators and be asking me not to talk,” she screamed.
Nwebonyi charged back at her, saying, “Don’t insult me. And you are even telling me to keep my mouth shut up. Who are you? You must be a fool, a fool at 70. That is what you are.
“What do you mean? You are an insult to womanhood. A fool like you can never be here. Who are you?”
After the tension was doused, the legislator representing Imo West, Senator Patrick Ndubueze, appealed for calm.
“We should stop behaving like people in the marketplace. This is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is sad to hear you (petitioner) say you don’t have confidence in the Senate. What it means is that everybody here is not trustworthy.
“Yes, we are all citizens of this country. But here, you must be recognised before you speak. That is the rule. We cannot just jump to answer questions because you are a petitioner. This is a Standing Committee.”
Hearing adjourned indefinitely
However, Imasuen adjourned the hearing indefinitely following observations that both Akpabio’s wife and Akpoti-Uduaghan have a case in court.
They also noted that the suspended Kogi lawmaker was not available to defend her allegation.
Addressing journalists after the hearing, Ezekwesili described the Senate’s approach as a gross violation of the Nigerian Constitution and legal framework.
She criticised the committee’s insistence on prioritising Senate rules over constitutional provisions, particularly in cases involving disciplinary actions and petitions.
“The Nigerian Senate keeps telling citizens they are subject to Senate Rules, even when those rules violate the Constitution. This is unacceptable in a democracy,” Ezekwesili declared.
She also referenced Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six months’ suspension by the Senate, arguing that it was carried out without due regard for constitutional provisions.
“The Senate placed its own rules above the laws of the land. Now, with this petitioner, they have done the same thing—using procedural loopholes to avoid addressing critical issues,” she said.
Ezekwesili backed the petitioner’s demand for a specially constituted independent committee to review the case, arguing that the current panel lacked the impartiality necessary to ensure fairness.
“If a petitioner says they do not believe the Senate committee will give them a fair hearing due to clear bias, it is only just that an independent body reviews the matter,” she added.
She also warned that the Senate’s actions could set a dangerous precedent, where internal rules override the Constitution.
“The Senate must respect the Constitution. Otherwise, we risk turning our democracy into a system where powerful individuals manipulate processes to silence opposition and suppress justice,” she noted.
INEC faults petitioners
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has raised concerns over the petition for the recall of Akpoti-Uduaghan, noting that the sponsors failed to comply with the recall guidelines.
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Some members of the Kogi central constituency had submitted a petition to the INEC requesting Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recall following the six-month suspension slammed on her for misconduct by the Senate.
The petition was reportedly signed by about 250,000 constituents.
Speaking on Monday, Charity Omole, a representative of the constituents, said they submitted the petition because the constituency cannot afford not to have a representative in the Senate.
In order to recall a federal lawmaker, a petition must be submitted to the commission’s chairman, signed by more than 50 per cent of the registered voters in the constituency, followed by a verification and then a referendum.
The law provides that a recall process must be concluded within 90 days from the date of receipt of the petition.
But the electoral commission in a Tuesday statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, pointed out that the petitioners failed to provide the necessary contact information, such as their addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, as required under the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
It said the petition, which includes six bags of documents that are said to contain signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district, did not comply with the guidelines, The PUNCH reports.
The petition, presented on behalf of the constituents by one Charity Ijese and received by INEC’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, on Monday, was said to be lacking clear contact details for the representatives, with only the phone number of the lead petitioner provided.
