Former Minister Demands Senate Address Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Akpabio
In a scathing critique of Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili has urged the Senate not to dismiss sexual harassment allegations leveled against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.
The controversy intensified Wednesday when the Senate’s ethics committee declared Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition “dead on arrival,” prompting Ezekwesili’s forceful intervention via social media the following day.
“The Senate would be doing itself a disservice should it treat this allegation with levity,” Ezekwesili wrote on her X page Thursday. She insisted that the petition must be “openly discussed in a public hearing that the accused does not preside over.”
Ezekwesili emphasized the public nature of Nigeria’s legislative institutions, stating: “Our National Assembly which comprises the Senate and House of Representatives belongs to the Nigerian people and not to politicians of any stripe and status.”
The former minister described Wednesday’s proceedings as “farcical and a blot on our democracy,” highlighting the problematic nature of “a senate president presiding over a grave matter involving him.”
While Akpabio has denied the allegations, the ethics committee has recommended Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, citing her engagement with the senate president in “a heated debate” over seating arrangements.
