Akpabio Plots Temporary Resignation as Senate Panel Moves to Clear Him, Recommend Indefinite Suspension of Senator Natasha – Report

An elaborate political manoeuvre is underway in the Nigerian Senate, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio reportedly plotting to momentarily step aside to allow the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to officially exonerate him of allegations of sexual harassment. This move, according to exclusive information obtained by SaharaReporters, is part of a broader strategy to impose an indefinite suspension on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, his accuser.

According to top sources within the National Assembly, both Akpabio and Senator Natasha are expected to appear before the Senate Committee in the coming week. The plan, insiders say, is for Akpabio to “fulfil all righteousness” by subjecting himself to the committee’s review — a calculated step intended to legitimise a pre-determined outcome that clears him and deals a more severe blow to Natasha.

The panel, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, is expected to present a report that will declare Akpabio officially innocent and recommend that Senator Natasha be suspended indefinitely — effectively removing her from Senate activities until the end of her term in 2027. “Akpabio will announce that he is stepping down for investigation to face the panel and after a few hours, the panel will come up with a report that he is innocent and Senator Natasha will be suspended indefinitely till 2027 when her tenure ends. They want to send her away,” a source revealed.

The unfolding drama follows the widely publicised petition filed by Senator Natasha with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), accusing the Senate President of sexually harassing her during a visit to his residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in December 2023. She alleged that Akpabio held her hand, led her around his home, and made inappropriate advances — even in her husband’s presence.

SaharaReporters also reported that the Senate Committee is defying a Federal High Court order restraining it from taking disciplinary action against Senator Natasha. Despite a clear ruling issued by Justice Obiora Egwuatu on March 4, which declared any action taken against her during the pendency of the suit as “null, void and of no effect,” the Senate went ahead to suspend her for six months and ordered her office sealed. This prompted her legal team to file a contempt application against Akpabio and other Senate officials for disobeying the court’s directive.

The ongoing controversy continues to deepen, with figures like Senator Ireti Kingibe and Senate Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Nwebonyi lending support to the committee process, which is seen by critics as a carefully orchestrated attempt to remove Senator Natasha under the guise of procedural fairness. As Sahara Reporters put it, “The plan currently being orchestrated is to suspend Senator Natasha till the end of the tenure.”