Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been suspended for six months following a sexual harassment complaint against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The judgement, made on Thursday, March 6, 2024, followed a proposal by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
As part of the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s salary and security details would be withheld, and she would be prevented from entering the National Assembly building. Her office would also be shut, and her legislative aides would not be paid during this time period. The Senate also ruled out reviewing her ban until the six-month sentence expired or she submitted a formal apology.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension comes after a heated exchange in the Senate, during which she opposed Akpabio’s reassignment of her seat. She arrived at a plenary session only to discover her nameplate removed and her seat relocated, which she claimed was an attempt to silence her.
Her suspension was placed to a vote after she was denied the opportunity to speak, and the majority agreed with the Ethics Committee’s findings. Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro agreed with the committee’s conclusion, noting that her actions justified disciplinary punishment. He compared the move to “correcting a child,” citing Nigerian cultural standards. To appeal the ban, Akpoti-Uduaghan must file a formal apology with the Senate for allegedly breaking its regulations.
The Ethics Committee recommended a six-month ban, but the Senate reduced it to three months after Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) requested a decrease. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged the reassignment of her seat by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, resulting in a tense clash during a Senate plenary session two Thursdays ago.
The session took an unexpected turn when she arrived to find her seat changed and her nameplate gone. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan raised her voice in protest, demanding an explanation for what she saw as an unlawful action.
Following the incident, the Ethics Committee investigated her behaviour at the plenary session. As a result, the Senate referred the subject to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of undertake, and Public Petitions, which was chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen. Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed the committee to undertake a comprehensive inquiry and report back within two weeks.
The Senate’s resolution came after Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, presented and adopted a report on news publications and reports about the incident.
In his presentation, Adaramodu informed the Senate that the previous Thursday’s plenary session, during which Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan openly challenged the Senate President over the relocation of her seat, had gravely harmed the Senate’s reputation.
