The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, currently facing backlash over the allegation of sexual harassment, may step down in the coming week in a plot to allow the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions (SCEPPP) to officially clear him, SaharaReporters has learnt.
The Senate Committee after clearing Akpabio is then expected to recommend an “indefinite suspension” for his accuser and female senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, SaharaReporters further gathered from top sources in the red chamber on Saturday.
According to the sources, both Natasha and Akpabio will in the coming week appear the senate committee in a bid to make the Senate president “fulfil all righteousness” before landing a heavier blow on the suspended female senator.
The investigation will be conducted by the Senator Neda Imasuen’s committee, while the alleged plan involves presenting Akpabio “officially innocent” of all allegations and suspending Senator Natasha for the entirety of the remaining part of her tenure.
Senator Ireti Kingibe’s recent statement supporting the investigation and Senator Onyekachi Nweboyin’s Channels TV interview are reportedly part of the orchestrated plan to perfect the suspension plot.
Nweboyin had revealed that both Akpabio and Natasha would eventually face an investigative panel.
“The plan currently being orchestrated is to suspend Senator Natasha till the end of the tenure. The report of the panel is currently being prepared and the panel is just to formalise the process.
“Akpabio will announce that he is stepping down for investigation to face the panel and after 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,” one of the top sources revealed.
This development comes on the heels of Senator Natasha’s petition to Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) against the Senate President.
SaharaReporters on Friday reported that the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions (SCEPPP) is set to hear testimonies from Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Kogi Central lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over allegations of sexual harassment.
This was confirmed by the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, during an appearance on Channels Television on Friday.
According to Nwebonyi, other senators who were present at the time of the alleged incident will also testify before the committee.
“All the parties involved would appear before the Committee, including the Senate President.
“He would come and testify, and his testimony would be recorded, likewise other senators,” Nwebonyi had stated.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had alleged that Akpabio sexually harassed her during a visit to his residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in December 2023.
She claimed that during the visit, the Senate President held her hand, led her around his house, and made inappropriate advances towards her — even in the presence of her husband.
