By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Deputy Chief Whip Of the Senate, Peter Nwebonyi has ascribed the sexual harassment levelled against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, by his counterpart and lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to the recent committee reshuffle in the legislature.
The lawmaker representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan had threatened to disgrace Akpabio a day before she publicly accused him of sexual harassment.
Nwaebonyi spoke on Thursday when he appeared on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television.
The deputy chief whip alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment claim followed her failed attempt to regain the chairmanship of a committee lost in a recent reshuffle.
He maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan was dissatisfied after being reassigned from chairing the senate committee on local content and moved to the diaspora committee.
“Senator Natasha was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, a position she felt comfortable with,” Nwaebonyi said.
“However, in the Senate, from time to time, committee leaderships are changed; they are reshuffled — her committee was affected just like every other chairmen.
“She was shifted to the Senate Committee on Diaspora, which didn’t go down well with Senator Natasha.”
Nwaebonyi said instead of recognising her duty to represent the people, the Kogi senator prioritised her “personal interests over her constituency”, which led to the sexual harassment allegation.
“Let me tell you — a day before she appeared on Arise TV, claiming this sexual harassment, she called a senator (Senator Sani Musa of Niger State),” he said.
“She asked him to tell the Senate President to return her as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content. She threatened that if this was not done, she would disgrace the Senate President.
“Senator Sani Musa then called the Senate President and said, ‘Look at the threat from this lady’.
“The Senate President responded, ‘Well, let her do what she wants to do. I am doing my job as a presiding officer. The reshuffling of committee members is normal’.
“Nigeria should know this. Senator Natasha is claiming sexual harassment because she lost the chairmanship of the Local Content Committee, not because she was harassed by Senator Akpabio or any other senator.”
Recall on February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan, accused Akpabio of making sexual advances towards her in his office and residence in Akwa Ibom.
The allegation was preceded by a heated argument between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan at the upper chamber on February 20 over seating arrangements.
The Kogi senator disrupted the plenary by rejecting her assigned seat, defying Akpabio’s order, and repeatedly raising a point of order despite being overruled.
Subsequently, the senate referred Akpoti-Uduaghan to the committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions for disciplinary review.
However, on Wednesday, the senate panel rejected the sexual harassment petition submitted by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio, citing due process breaches and legal limitations.
The panel, who described the petition as “dead on arrival,” said the female senator personally signed it instead of securing another person’s endorsement, rendering it “invalid”.
Neda Imaseun, chairman of the committee, added that the issues raised in the petition were already being addressed in court, making them sub judice and beyond the senate’s authority.
During Thursday’s plenary, Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted another petition signed by her constituents, which the senate accepted.
