Tempers flared at the National Assembly as a heated exchange erupted between former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili and Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi during a Senate hearing on a sexual harassment petition filed by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The clash, which took place on Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, has sparked widespread debate.
The altercation began when petitioner Zubairu Yakubu attempted to address Committee Chairman Neda Imasuen but was told to turn off his microphone. Ezekwesili, who intervened, was abruptly cut off by Nwaebonyi, appearing as a witness for Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Frustrated, she told him to “please shut up,” prompting an immediate outburst from the senator, who fired back, calling her a “fool, a hooligan, and an insult to womanhood.”
Following public backlash, Nwaebonyi, speaking on Arise TV’s Newsnight, expressed regret over his remarks but insisted that disciplinary action should be taken against Ezekwesili.
Meanwhile, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a petition before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee seeking the disbarment of Senator Neda Imasuen. She alleged that Imasuen was disbarred in the United States by the New York Supreme Court in 2010 over fraud and misappropriation of client funds but failed to disclose this in his Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) election documents. Akpoti-Uduaghan backed her petition with court documents, further escalating the controversy.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has also waded into the storm, accusing Akpabio of having a history of abusing women. Speaking in an interview with journalist Adesuwa Giwa Osagie, Atiku described Akpabio as corrupt and alleged that the National Assembly is steeped in corruption, particularly following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
Amidst the high-profile political drama, INEC has dismissed a recall petition seeking to remove Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing the petitioners’ failure to provide valid contact information.
Elsewhere, newly promoted Assistant Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, was seen in an emotional moment as he paid tribute to his mother after being decorated by Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun.
