Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan are in the news for the wrong reasons.
What started as a disagreement over sitting arrangement later degenerated into allegations of sexual harassment and snowballed into a media frenzy. The saga would have been amusing but for its reputational damage. Nigeria’s number three citizen and the institution he heads – the country’s legislative arm of government – has now been dragged to the International Parliamentary Union.
An institution that prides itself on being a “distinguished” forum charged with making laws for the country’s good governance should hold itself to a higher standard.
That the sad drama is happening in full view of Nigerians and, indeed, the international community, given the real-time, online media coverage it receives, qualifies it as a tragedy foretold.
The intriguing thing is that their spouses have been drawn into the mudslinging in a way that does more harm than good to the image of the upper legislative chamber.
It is a disappointing commentary. Even more disheartening is that the Senate is in the public space not because of its accomplishments regarding its assigned law-making functions but because of its obvious inability to manage its internal affairs.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was said to have invited trouble to herself when she declined a change in sitting position. Revelations later showed she may have been peeved by her removal as chairman of one of the Senate committees.
The Senate president, for his part, took the matter personally, which was regrettable. Akpoti-Uduaghan represents not only herself but, more importantly, the people of Kogi Central.
Her claim that she was suffering ill treatment from Akpabio due to her refusal to respond positively to his sexual overtures should have been independently investigated since the Senate president cannot be a judge in his own case.
The concern of this newspaper is that the leadership of the Senate failed to act in a manner to protect its integrity. The Ethics and Privileges Committee appeared in a hurry to protect the Senate president. The matter has now become a national embarrassment.
The opinion of Nigerians about the Senate is hardly flattering. This Akpabio-Natasha brouhaha has not helped matters.
In our opinion, the Senate president did not display the kind of leadership sagacity expected of the head of the legislative arm of government and the third in the order of precedence, after the president and the vice president.
He should not only have done justice to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s complaint, he should have been seen to do so. Instead, he turned the Senate into his personal court, where he was the prosecutor and the judge.
We urge the Senate, for the sake of justice, equity and fair play, and for its own sake, to rescind the six-month suspension and restore Akpoti-Uduaghan’s privileges immediately.
She deserves a fair hearing.
The explanation that the Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was not suspended because of the allegation of sexual harassment is, in the opinion of this newspaper, a puerile argument.
That some members, who conveniently absented themselves during the proceedings of the committee, paid her a solidarity visit spoke volumes of the chicanery so glaring in an otherwise distinguished chamber.
