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The Nigerian Senate has suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months after its members voted to adopt the recommendations of its committee that investigated her.
The decision comes after Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct had recommended the six-month suspension, citing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s violation of Senate Standing Rules.
Persecondnews reports that the suspension was announced by Akpabio himself during a plenary session, with the majority of senators voting to uphold the six-month sanction.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had issued an interim order stopping the Senate from probing Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Persecondnews reports that the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, in a report it presented to the Senate on Thursday, March 6, recommended her suspension even when the Kogi senator failed to appear before it.
The committee recommended that her salary and security details be withdrawn during the six-month suspension period.
It was also recommended that she should not be seen anywhere around the National Assembly during her suspension period.
The recommendation was put to a vote, and the senators voted in support, resulting in its adoption.
Her six-month suspension is a direct result of the controversy surrounding her sexual harassment allegations against the Senate President.
Prior to her sexual harassment allegation, Akpoti-Uduaghan had a clash with the Senate leadership on Thursday, February 20, over a disputed seating arrangement.
The disagreement started when her seat was reassigned due to a reshuffle, prompted by opposition members defecting to the majority wing.
She declined to move to her newly assigned seat, sparking a heated debate.
The Chief Whip, Sen. Tahir Monguno, defended the seating arrangement change by referencing Senate rules, which grant the Senate President the authority to make seat adjustments.
He also cautioned that failure to comply would result in penalties, including being barred from participating in Senate debates.
Akpabio backed Monguno’s directive and refused to recognize Sen. Uduaghan when she tried to speak from her original seat, escalating the tension in the Senate chamber.
In a bold show of defiance, the Kogi senator raised her voice, accusing the leadership of silencing her.
She said: “I do not care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege.”
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