The Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for violating house rules after a heated debate with Akpabio over seating arrangements.
Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s First Lady, has expressed her support for the 10th Senate’s handling of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central District, got into a shouting match with Akpabio on the floor of the upper legislative chamber a fortnight ago over a change in seating arrangements.
When the Kogi lawmaker discovered that her seat had been moved, she raised her voice in frustration, causing a brief interruption in legislative proceedings.
She was later removed from plenary by the Senate President and referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, which is chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun, for disciplinary review.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan will later accuse Akpabio of making sexual advances on her, claiming that her rejection of the advances caused her problems in the Senate.
On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the embattled lawmaker filed a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio on the floor of the upper legislative chamber, but the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privilege denied it.
The Committee Chairman, Imaseun, who announced the dismissal, explained that Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the petition herself rather than having it endorsed by another person, rendering it procedurally invalid.
