The Senate has dismissed claims that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, clarifying that she was instead sanctioned for violating the Senate Standing Orders.
In a statement released on Saturday, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months due to “flagrant disobedience” to Sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended) and for unparliamentary conduct during plenary.
“The disciplinary action against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was unequivocally a response to her repeated violations of legislative decorum,” Bamidele stated. The Senate, based on a report by its Committee on Ethics and Privileges, found the Kogi Central senator guilty of misconduct, including refusal to sit in her assigned seat, speaking without recognition, making abusive remarks against Senate leadership, and failing to appear before the Ethics Committee when summoned.
According to the statement, “Refusing to sit in her assigned seat during plenary, speaking without recognition from the presiding officer, and engaging in unruly behavior all constitute clear violations of the Senate’s standing rules.” The upper chamber maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension could be reviewed if she submitted a written apology. However, rather than complying, she had allegedly been misleading the public by claiming she was suspended over a sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio.
“The claim that her suspension was linked to a sexual harassment petition is completely untrue, misleading, and a calculated attempt to distort the facts,” the statement read. Bamidele further clarified that her petition on sexual harassment was not considered because it failed to meet the Senate’s procedural requirements.
“If Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had strictly followed our guiding principles, the Senate would have treated her petition based on merit in line with its practice. But she never obeyed the established procedures of the institution where she was serving,” he explained.
The Senate urged the media to refrain from distorting facts, emphasising that the disciplinary action was strictly based on violations of Senate rules and not an attempt to suppress any petition. “This coordinated misinformation campaign is nothing more than an attempt to politicize a disciplinary action that was strictly based on clear violations of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended). It is reckless, misleading, and a disservice to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who deserve truthful and factual reporting,” the statement added.
