It was a bit rowdy in the Senate on Wednesday when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan moved a motion to enable her to submit a petition on sexual harassment against the Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

After her motion, the Senate President gave his nod for her to submit her petition, which she did without much ado. However, soon after, the Senate Chief Whip raised a point of order on a technical argument that her petition had not followed the right procedure.

The Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Munguno, challenged the validity of the petition on procedural grounds. Citing Order 40(4) of the Senate rules, Munguno warned that any deviation from established procedures could lead to “chaos and anarchy.” He argued that the Senate rules prohibit a senator from personally signing and submitting their own petition. “Senator Natasha had signed her own petition, rendering it invalid,”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan insisted that her legal case was unrelated to sexual harassment but instead focused on defamatory remarks made about her dressing. She invoked Order 10, which allows any senator to rise and speak at any time, and maintained that her petition should be considered.

Former Senate Leader Abdullahi Adamu attempted to de-escalate tensions, suggesting that since Akpabio had already accepted the petition, it should be referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct for review.

However, this proposal further divided opinions, leading to a flurry of points of order and a brief commotion in the chamber.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele weighed in, reinforcing the argument that no senator can author and sign their own petition. He also highlighted that the matter was already before the courts, as Akpabio’s wife had initiated legal proceedings, making it sub judice and beyond the Senate’s jurisdiction.

“Mr. President, I sympathise with you as a man being accused of sexual harassment,” Bamidele said. “However, we must be guided by the Constitution and our Rule Book, not emotions. You accepted the petition based on emotion, but we must uphold due process.”

In his defence, Akpabio said he accepted the petition not out of disregard for the Senate rules but rather to avoid any negative public perception that he was deliberately silencing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s voice because he was guilty of her accusation.

“I took that petition because I didn’t want people who don’t understand our rules to think I was deliberately silencing her,” Akpabio explained.

Despite attempts to call for a closed-door session, Akpabio ruled that plenary should continue.

In the end, the Senate upheld the argument of the Senate Leader and rejected the petition, bringing the contentious matter to a close—at least within the legislative chamber.