The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Petitions led by Senator Neda Imasuen has again refused to hear a petition on sexual harassment, levelled against President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
The petitioner, Mr Zubairu Yakubu, from Kogi Central Senatorial District appeared before the Committee on Tuesday in the company of former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, who appeared as a witness.
The Committee ruled that it could not sit on the petition in view of a pending case filed against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by Unoma Akpabio, wife of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
Citing Senate rules, Senator Imasuen noted that the practise of the Red Chamber was to decline from entertaining petitions on any matter pending before the Court.
Speaking with journalists after the Senate Committee adjourned, indefinitely, Ezekwesili accused the Senate of violating the Nigerian Constitution as she maintained that the Senate Rule cited was not superior to the Constitution.
She said: “The Nigerian Senate keeps telling citizens they are subject to Senate rules, even when those rules violate the Constitution. This is unacceptable in a democracy.”
She further argued that the embattled Kogi Central lawmaker was denied a fair hearing in clear breach of provisions of the Constitution.
“The Senate placed its own rules above the laws of the land. Now, with this petitioner, they have done the same thing—using procedural loopholes to avoid addressing critical issues.”
The former Education Minister who insisted that the Senate Committee has shown bias called for an independent panel to review Senate Natasha’s petition.
“If a petitioner says they do not believe the Senate committee will give them a fair hearing due to clear bias, it is only just that an independent body reviews the matter.”
She warned that the Senate’s actions could set a dangerous precedent, where internal rules override the Constitution.
“The Senate must respect the Constitution. Otherwise, we risk turning our democracy into a system where powerful individuals manipulate processes to silence opposition and suppress justice.”
Dr. Ezekwesili and Senator Peter Onyeka Nwebonyi engaged in a war of words, as the Senator representing Ebonyi used derogatory terms to describe the former Minister.
Stretching further the argument of bias, the petitioner, cited previous remarks attributed to the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Imasuen, where he dismissed Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan petition as dead on arrival at the Committee sitting.
“How can the chairman serve as a judge in a case where he has already publicly taken a position? What is the need for us to present our case when a verdict has already been given before hearing us?”
Yakubu expressed disappointment over the objection by the Committee to his request that the Kogi Central senator who has been axed for six months by the Senate be allowed to testify before the panel as principal witness.
He noted that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was in custody of crucial documentary evidence to support her claims, but she was barred from entering the National Assembly to testify.
“In my petition, I clearly stated that my witness would present her evidence personally. But she was not allowed into the premises. If my key witness is denied access, how can I proceed with my case?”
Legal expert for the petitioner, Dr. Abiola Akinyode equally praised concerns about inconsistencies in the Senate’s handling of petitions.
“There is nothing in Yakubu’s petition that was not in Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s original petition. If the Senate dismissed her petition as ‘dead on arrival,’ then logically, Yakubu’s should also be dismissed.
“The Senate seems to be operating under its own rules, separate from the Constitution. That is why they can suspend a senator for six months without following due process.”
She also faulted the defense by the Committee that it could not sit on judgment in a subsisting case before a court of competent jurisdiction.
“If they knew the case was in court, they should have simply written to the petitioner stating they could not entertain it. Instead, they invited him, only to dismiss the petition on the basis that it was already in court.”
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