On Friday, the Federal Government announced that it is in discussions with the National Assembly leadership to resolve the recent suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
“We’re engaging all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy,” the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Iman Suleiman-Ibrahim, told State House correspondents during a Meet-the-Press Programme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Her remarks come just a day after the 10th Senate imposed a six-month suspension on Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The lawmaker had filed a petition claiming she was sexually harassed by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Read Also: What Natasha Posted On Social Media After Suspension
Akpoti-Uduaghan initially raised the issue on February 28.
However, the Senate rejected her petition on procedural grounds, with the ethics committee recommending her suspension, stating that she had brought disrepute to the upper chamber.
Reacting to the developments, the Women Affairs Minister said, “It’s an unfortunate incident that should not happen. In the last assembly, we had nine senators that were women.
“We don’t want to be losing any woman member in the Senate or decrease in the numbers.
“We’re going to be brokering peace. We’ll engage all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy.”
Suleiman-Ibrahim said she is emboldened by the Senate President’s openness to talk.
“I was at the National Assembly yesterday, at the Senate where we marked the International Women’s Day.
“The last thing the Senate president said was that ‘we’re open to broker peace.’
“So we’re going to be the intermediary between the two parties to see that we broker peace; for peace to reign, and then we’ll continue to sensitise everyone a o that we learn to work better together as women and men,” she said.
Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2
