The Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions has dismissed a petition of sexual harassment filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The committee took the decision at a sitting at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Senator Neda Imasuen, the committee chairman, said the petition was procedurally defective.
He said the petition which was self signed by Akpoti-Uduaghan did not comply with Order 40 of the Senate Standing Order.
That was a total nullity from the start.
Imasuen also said the issues raised in the petition were already in court and sub judice.
He quoted Order 40 subsection 4 that no senator can submit a petition signed by himself/herself alone. So the committee branded the petition as “dead on arrival” and refused to entertain it.
The hearing was delayed as Akpoti-Uduaghan did not show up at the sitting which commenced at 2 pm.
Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu arrived at 2:50 pm while the chairman arrived at 2:58 pm.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s absence at this critical session made things more complicated.
Earlier on the same day, the Senate received the petition from Akpoti-Uduaghan which alleged sexual harassment by Akpabio.
During plenary on Wednesday, Akpabio dismissed the allegations as baseless. He said his upbringing taught him to respect women and recalled being given the award of the most gender friendly governor in Nigeria.
This is a case of the rigour of Senate rules and the importance of following established procedures in parliamentary proceedings.
In similar cases, parliamentary committees have said strict compliance with procedural rules is key to maintaining institutional integrity and public trust.
It is a reflection of the commitment to ethical conduct in the Nigerian Senate and the enforcement of its standing orders.