The petitioner in the sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Zuberu Yakubu, on behalf of the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has alleged bias and lack of fair hearing by the Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions.
By Haruna Salami
The petitioner in the sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Zuberu Yakubu, on behalf of the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has alleged bias and lack of fair hearing by the Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions.
The petitioner who appeared before the Ethics Committee on Tuesday in the company of his counsel, Dr. Abiola Akiyode and former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili initially declined commenting unless Senator Natasha, his principal witness was allowed to come into the National Assembly.
After much drama and accusations of bias against the chairman of the Ethics Committee, who the petitioner alleged had referred to the petition “deaf on arrival”, the committee finally dismissed the petition because the matter was before a court of law.
Speaking with journalists after dismissal of his petition, Zuberu said he declined comment before the Senate Committee on Ethics Privileges and Petitions because the committee is not fair to them on this matter.
He challenged the chairman of the committee, Senator Neda Imasuen (Edo South) who he said was in the media saying that “the petition is dead on arrival, which means you already have a position and you can’t be a judge in your own case. You are a senator and a chairman of a committee and you have already taken a position on this matter. So, what is the need for me to come and discuss with you because you already have a position. So, automatically we won’t be able to get fair hearing; we won’t be able to secure fair hearing from your committee.
“Secondly, I know noe of the committee members who today have denied, on Channels TV said that he is the principal witness to the Senate President and in such things can we get a fair hearing? The answer is no.
“Thirdly, my principal is not allowed to come to National Assembly and in my petition I said it clearly, unequivocally that she will come and testify by herself with clear evidence and the documentary evidence and since she’s not here I cannot proceed.
Fourthly, I noticed that the committee have already had a position on this matter so they are just trying to play a game; they are using defensive mechanism to defend what they are doing. I can see that in Nigeria today we are not using the constitution. The senator that was maneuvering … unless you follow the constitution of Nigeria, we cannot believe in you so that we can live in peace and harmony.
From what transpired inside, the Senate committee chairman, Neda Imasuen, said that the petition, which he said was dead on arrival, was the first one that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan signed by herself, and now that a constituent of Kogi Central, signed this petition, the Senate now accepted it and referred to this committee meant nothing to the petitioner.
Zuberu said he read what Senator Imasuen’s statements in the press he granted that no woman has ever accused Senator Akpabio of sexual harassment, which means he has already a position. He said no woman has ever, the word ever automatically means he already has a position. So, if you have interest in the matter, what is the essence of being a judge in such a case?
Dr. Abiola Akiyode, counsel to the petitioner said there’s nothing in the petition that is not in the original petition by Senator Natasha, which they already were privy to. So if they said what Senator Natasha brought in was dead on arrival, it’s as good as also saying what he has is dead on arrival.
She said having that kind of statement said by the chair of the committee, you know, brings a lot of inconsistency into what they are doing. ‘And we can see that today. What we saw here today is that it seems that the Senate has their own rule, and the constitution is different. There is no synergy between the National Assembly rules, and that is why they can suspend the Senator for six months without obeying their rules.
“The Constitution and the Senate rule on fair airing seems not to be the same. As we came in here today, we realized that they already have had those court processes ready for us. What they just wanted was for the petitioner to continue to speak on the issue, and they take probably more facts, you know, that they will probably use in court.
“If they are aware, based on what they have just told us now, which was the basis upon which they adjourned the matter, because… they said they don’t want to deal with the matter that is already in court.
She said it means that they were aware that this matter was in court, but they invited the petitioner to come and do what? And that is the issue of today.
The counsel asked why the Senate Ethics Committee still invited the petitioner, Zuberu Yakubu when they know the matter is in court already.
“Why did you extend another invitation for the petitioner to come and face this case? The petition has been there before the court. Since they were aware, even if it was not before, but they were aware before today. And before they sent the invitation to the petitioner that the matter was already in court, that was enough reason for them to just write to the petitioner to say we cannot take your petition because this matter has already gone.
“So, for calling him to come today also shows to a large extent their bias and their disrespect for the constitution of Nigeria.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, who came as a witness for Natasha described what transpired at the Ethics Committee as “a gross degradation of the constitution and the laws of the land because the persistence with which the Nigerian Senate now tells us that citizens are entirely subject to Senate rules in a country that is a democracy must worry every Nigerian”.
She said there is absolutely no basis for the rules of the Senate to have supremacy over the constitution and the laws of the land. “In the suspension of Senate on Natasha, that was what happened. They put the rules of the Senate over and above the laws and the constitution of Nigeria.
“Today, with this petitioner, they exactly did the same thing. They were determined to use the camouflage of the rules of the Senate to make it impossible for a petitioner that says this Senate committee will not give me fair hearing and I need that fair hearing. There is a bias and it is evident in the series of things that have come out of this Senate.
She requested under the rules of fair play and the constitution that “the Senate should have a new, specially constituted committee that would give me confidence to come before you and to enter into the deliberation on my petition.
Ezekwesili reechoed the petitioner’s insistence that if Senator Natasha, who was banned from coming anywhere near the Senate, is not with him, it would injure her even more because she is the primary witness, principal witness on this matter.
