Akpabio vs Natasha; Why we might not probe s3xual allegations – Senate
Akpabio vs Natasha; Why we might not probe s3xual allegations – Senate
Senate spokesman Adeyemi Adaramodu has disclosed that no formal petition has been presented to the Senate on the sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Apoti-Uduaghan
Adaramodu while speaking to The Nation yesterday, explained that there is currently no official complaint before the Senate to trigger an inquiry into the allegations made by the Kogi Central senator.
The call for an investigation gained traction after the Pan-North socio-political group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), joined other commentators urging for a transparent probe into the matter.
Speaking on a national television program over the weekend, Senator Apoti-Uduaghan claimed that she had been subjected to victimisation by Senate President Akpabio after rejecting his sexual advances.
In response, Akpabio’s wife, Nnoma, vehemently denied the accusations and filed a N250 billion defamation lawsuit against Apoti-Uduaghan.
However, Adaramodu emphasized last night that, despite the allegations, neither Mrs. Apoti-Uduaghan nor anyone else has formally submitted a sexual harassment complaint to the Senate, leaving the matter outside the body’s jurisdiction for now.
He said: “There is no allegation before the Senate. There is none from anybody for that matter. So we don’t pick allegations on television screen or from social media.
“So, nobody has lodged any allegation with anybody or anyone in the Senate.
“So, the only issue that is on ground is the breach of the Standing Orders which has been referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.
“And I don’t think there’s any other petition or any other complaint before the head committee. So, you will not be… that means there is nothing to refer to the ethics committee again?
“Unless if anybody brings anything up. So it will be dealt with accordingly. So, for now there is none than the one that we have referred.
“So, we can be hearing so many things from outside, but within the Senate, no allegation against anybody, no complaints from anybody and no case has been presented to us.”
Also yesterday, Eseme Eyiboh, the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, supported the Senate spokesman’s statement, emphasizing that the Senate cannot investigate allegations that are not officially brought before it.
Eyiboh said: “For example, she went to court. There is nowhere in her statement of claims that the issue of sexual harassment is mentioned.
“There is no way from what is in public domain now and there has never been any time she has brought this to the attention of the Senate on points of privilege that she has been sexually harassed.
“It’s only a visitor or a first-timer or a stranger who visits his or her guests that is introduced, is taken around the house or taken around the compound.
“But somebody who is a familiar person in that household may have been taken around the first time he or she came.
“It’s very strange and sad that we are hearing that Senator Natasha and the husband, their family is very close to the family of the Senator, Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president. They have been visiting each other. It’s not hidden.
“So, is it just in 2023 during Senator Akpabio’s birthday that they were conducted around; all along, the families were all bonding and getting on together, visiting each other. They didn’t know the house.
“That is one fact we must interrogate. Then, number two, the same way Senator Natasha is a very beautiful lady in creation.
“But I can also tell you that the substance in his allegations are not elegant and anybody who pays attention to it is embarking on the on a trip of fantasy.”
Ighodalo is challenging the outcome of the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal reserved the judgment on Monday after counsel in the matter adopted their final written addresses.
According to Justice Kpochi, a date for judgment will be communicated to parties by the secretary of the trubunal.
“The tribunal stands adjourned until then,” he said.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN told the tribunal that the business of the day was for adoption of final written addresses.
Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Mr Kanu Agabi, SAN proceeded to adopt the final address of his client.
Agabi by way of adumbration prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.
He said this was based on the grounds that the tribunal could not annul the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election because it was not one of the reliefs sought by the petitioners.
The senior lawyer also told the tribunal that it could not declare the petitioners as winners of that election in the light of their own assertion that the election was invalid.
Speaking on the claim of non-compliance pleaded by the petitioners, Agabi said it was weak as it was not accompanied by the appropriate relief which was nullification of election.
He also said that the claim of majority of lawful votes pleaded by the petitioners could not avail them since their other claim was that the election was invalid.
He also argued that the number of polling unit agents called as witnesses represented an insignificant or even negligible per cent of the number of polling units in Edo.
Another ground that INEC prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition based on was that all the polling unit agents called as witnesses signed the result sheet and they could not distinguish between what they heard and what they saw.
“This is a clear indication that the election was conducted in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
“The results were duly collated at all levels of collation.
“The petitioners have not pleaded any alternative results on the basis of which they can be declared as winners.
“The case of the petitioners is based on analysis undertaken by hired consultants ,” he said.
He further held that the documents upon which the petitioners relied were all dumped on the tribunal and could not be used in their favour.
He therefore prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety as it had no merit.
For his part, counsel to Gov. Monday Okpebholo, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN told the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the grounds that it had become an academic exercise.
He said that in the course of their research, they carefully extracted the polling units which the petitioners tendered documents on and compared them to the ones they presented and even at that, his client was well ahead of the petitioners in the polls.
On the contentious Form EC25b where the petitioners claimed the serial numbers of sensitive materials must be given, Ikpeazu said that all that was required for the form was quantity of electoral materials received and quantity returned.
He added that a pronouncement of the Supreme Court said that one could not prove over voting without the Bimodal Verification Authentication System (BVAs) Machines but that none of the machines was opened to allow the tribunal look at the content.
According to him, the petitioners by not tendering the right documents, failed to prove over voting on the whole.
Speaking on behalf of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Mr Emmanuel Ukala argued that it was clear that the case of the petitioners was based virtually and entirely on non-compliance.
“By the nature of the case they pleaded, the Supreme Court has over the years laid down that they need to prove this by polling unit to polling unit, ward to ward and local government by local government.”
He, however, held that rather than prove this, the petitioners dumped documents on the court.
He said that without polling unit agents testifying to those documents, they were useless and the case remained unproved.
Ukala argued that with over 4,000 polling units in Edo, the petitioners called only five polling unit agents and no single presiding officer.
He also said that since the petitioners failed to demonstrate how the BVAs worked, it was clear that the case of the petitioners was not proved and it should be dismissed.
Responding, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Ken Moze, SAN, said that with 4519 polling units in Edo, the complaint in the petition was concerning 765 of them.
According to him, it is law that successful prosecution of election petition is not about the percentage of the total polling units in the state but the effect of the successive establishment of the complaint.
He further argued that the petition must be considered whollistically and not in parts.
“So the submission of isolating grounds and labeling them alone as academic is not well founded,” he said.
On the issue of not presenting the tribunal with an alternative result, the senior lawyer said that it was on record that all the results before the tribunal were tendered by his client.
On why the petitioners called only five polling unit agents, he said that the grouse of his client was with what happened at the collation centres and not at the polling units so they didn’t need more than five agents to testify.
“We concede that elections took place at the polling units but how 25 votes metamorphosed to 525 votes at the collation center is what we are quarrelling with,” he said.
Speaking on the claim that they dumped documents on the tribunal, Moze said that all the documents they tendered were duly certified by INEC and were tendered without objection from the commission, the makers of the document.
He also held that the tribunal had requisite jurisdiction to hear the petition because their allegations were not pre-election matters.
Having taken all the arguments, Justice Kpochi said that judgment in the matter was reserved to a date to be communicated to the parties by the secretary of the tribunal.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo approached the tribunal, praying it to invalidate the outcome of the governorship election on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
They further contended that Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of majority votes cast in that election.(NAN)
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BREAKING: Lagos Assembly Speaker Meranda resigns from office
BREAKING: Lagos Assembly Speaker Meranda resigns from office
Mojisola Meranda has resigned as Speaker of Lagos State Assembly amid leadership crisis that has engulfed the House
But the crisis remain unresolved as Obasa’s removal divided the Assembly, and party’s leadership in the state.
Meranda said she resigned to protect the state assembly, adding that she is not a quitter.
“I take a bow as your Speaker,” she announced.
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Before announcing her resignation, the state lawmakers took turns to commend her legislative acumen, diligence, and performance within her short time in office.
Showering praises on Meranda, Desmond Olusola Elliot thanked her, saying she demonstrated good leadership and led the house well.
Another lawmaker, Temitope Adewale Ifako-Ijaiye I, said, “We celebrate you for your quality service. You are a heroine of democracy. You came, you saw, you conquer. You are a victim of circumstance. This house is in tears.”
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JUST IN; Obasa meets with Speaker Meranda, 34 Lawmakers APC Chairman amid Leadership crisis
JUST IN; Obasa meets with Speaker Meranda, 34 Lawmakers APC Chairman amid Leadership crisis
The impeached Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, held a meeting with the Speaker, Mojisola Meranda and 34 other lawmakers, at the assembly complex.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also present at the meeting is the Lagos State Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Cornelius Ojelabi.
NAN observed that Obasa, who arrived at the assembly complex at about 1:45 p.m., exchanged pleasantries with the 35 lawmakers.
The meeting between the two factions is connected to how to resolve the speakership crisis at the state assembly.