The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions has declared Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s (PDP-Kogi) sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio as “dead on arrival.”
The committee’s chairman, Sen. Neda Imaseun (LP-Edo), rejected the petition on Wednesday at an investigative hearing.
The dismissal is not unconnected with the Senate rules that bar Senators from presenting petitions signed by themselves.
Order 40(4) of the Senate Rules Book states that “no senator may present to the Senate a petition signed by himself.”
This rule was brought up by the Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Mohammed Monguno, when Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted her petition at plenary earlier on Wednesday.
Sen. Monguno also noted that the matter was sub judice, saying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan and Sen. Akpabio’s wife have instituted court cases over the matter.
Sen. Neda Imaseun alluded to these points during the investigative hearing.
“We do not place much emphasis on this order that was presented. We are referring back to our rulebook. As I said earlier, the petition she submitted today is ‘dead on arrival,’” he said.
“Since the petition was signed by her, this committee will not entertain it,” Sen. Neda Imaseun added.
