{"id":2499,"date":"2025-03-05T15:20:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T15:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/?p=2499"},"modified":"2025-03-05T15:20:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T15:20:32","slug":"senator-natasha-throws-senate-into-confusion-over-sexual-harassment-petition-as-pro-natasha-supporters-storms-nass-entrance-calling-for-akpabios-resignation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/2025\/03\/05\/senator-natasha-throws-senate-into-confusion-over-sexual-harassment-petition-as-pro-natasha-supporters-storms-nass-entrance-calling-for-akpabios-resignation\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Natasha throws Senate into\u00a0 Confusion over sexual harassment petition\u00a0 ……As pro-Natasha supporters storms NASS entrance, calling for Akpabio’s resignation\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday descended into confusion and chaos over Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan\u2019s sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio.<\/p>\n

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Natasha rose on Order 10 of the Senate Rules to allow her petition against Akpabio to be admitted and referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.<\/p>\n

This even as pro-Natasha supporters had stormed the entrance to National Assembly at the early hours of Wednesday demanding the resignation of the president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio for allegedly harassing Senator Natasha sexually.<\/p>\n

Natasha presented her petition against the Senate President after Akpabio earlier in his address declared that he had never harassed any woman in his life.<\/p>\n

Senator Mohammed Monguno through Order 40, drew the attention of the chamber to the fact that the Nigerian Senate lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter as it has been taken to court.<\/p>\n

Citing relevant \u2018Orders and Rules\u2019 guiding Senate proceedings, Monguno submitted that \u201cthe power to debate on the allegation of sexual harassment against Senator Godswill Akpabio has been taken away\u201d.<\/p>\n

He maintained that any attempt to debate on the matter would be subjudice and an affront to the powers of the court, maintaining that the court be allowed to adjudicate on the matter.<\/p>\n

“Mr Senate President, distinguished colleagues, you are aware that the wife of the Senate President, Mrs Unoma Ekaete Akpabio and her family have gone to court against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan after she appeared on Arise Television on Thursday last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means this hallowed chamber cannot debate on the same matter as the chamber has been stopped,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Senate Leader, Michael Bamidele Opeyemi expressed sympathy with the Senate President to have allowed the petition to be referred to the Committee, saying that the \u2018Rules and Order\u2019 doesn\u2019t allow a senator to sign a petition personally against the Senate leadership.<\/p>\n

The Senate erred to have admitted the petition as it is only the constituents that could have signed and forwarded the petition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt appeared Akpabio didn\u2019t want the matter to look as if he was disallowing somebody from expressing her rights and hence allowed the error to be committed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI move that the chamber go into closed door (session),\u201d Opeyemi said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, supporters of Natasha comprising women and youths drawn from Kogi state were seen in their numbers protesting the probe of their principal by the Senate and also demanding the resignation of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio on account of purported sexual harassment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday descended into confusion and chaos over Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan\u2019s sexual harassment allegation against the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio. Natasha rose on Order 10 of the Senate Rules to allow her petition against Akpabio to be admitted and referred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. This even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[1569,323,859,1570,1568],"class_list":["post-2499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news","category-politics","tag-demanding","tag-harassment","tag-petition","tag-resignation-unwarranted","tag-sexual"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2499"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2502,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499\/revisions\/2502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}