PDP, CUPP condemn Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from Senate
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) have condemned the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District from the Senate over misconduct.
Reacting to the Senator’s suspension, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement issued in Abuja, asserted that the action of the Akpabio-led Senate leadership smacks of a desperation to cover up.
He said, “The Party observes that the hasty suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan without an open investigation into the weighty allegation of sexual harassment against the Senate President not only negates the principle of fair hearing especially in parliamentary convention but also portrays the Senate as an institution that endorses, condones and offers protection to reprobacy. Also, the excessively harsh six months suspension on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan translates to denying the people of Kogi Central Senatorial Zone their constitutional right of being represented in the Senate.
“It is scandalous and amounts to gross abuse of office and violation of the fundamentals of justice and fair hearing for Senator Akpabio to sit as a judge in a matter in which he is the accused; a situation which validates public apprehension of a desperation by the embattled Senate President to suppress open legislative probe into the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against him. If Senator Akpabio has nothing to hide, what Nigerians expected of him was to clear his name by stepping aside in line with established parliamentary practice, allow and submit to an open and unbiased investigation into the allegation of sexual harassment by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“It is indeed a national embarrassment that the person of the Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly is being mentioned in a case of sexual harassment which has now tarred the image and integrity of the highest lawmaking body in Nigeria. Ordinarily under this situation the Senate President needs no prodding to step aside for an independent investigation to clear his name. Given the height of public anxiety on this allegation of sexual harassment which has already escalated into protests at the National Assembly, the PDP urges the Senate to redeem its image and integrity by immediately reinstating Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and ensuring an open investigation into the matter”.
Also reacting, National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) Chief Peter Ameh noted that the Senate’s action taken during its plenary has raised serious questions about fairness, legality, and the integrity of the legislative body.
Speaking in Abuja, Ameh said, “this action, devoid of a fair hearing, not only undermines Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s fundamental right to be heard but also casts a shadow over the Senate’s commitment to justice and due process. At the heart of this matter is a glaring procedural flaw: there was no fair hearing. A fair hearing is a cornerstone of justice, ensuring that all parties are given an equal opportunity to present their case before an impartial arbiter. In this instance, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the accuser, was denied that right.
“Instead, the accused, Senator Godswill Akpabio, presided over the session that sealed her fate. This is a textbook violation of natural justice, which demands that no one should be a judge in their own cause”.
