Senate Ethics Committee

Until the breeze blows, you will not see the fowl’s rump! What transpired at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Wednesday (today) should alarm every Nigerian who still holds hope for dignity in public office.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former labour leader turned politician, did not just miss his flight, he missed the mark of what it means to be a lawmaker in a democracy. His conduct was not just a moment of personal frustration; it was a full display of entitlement, thuggery, and the dangerous arrogance of unchecked political power.

Upon missing his Air Peace flight to Abuja, Senator Oshiomhole reportedly disrupted airport operations, blocked the terminal gate, and caused delays for hundreds of passengers. This was not a private citizen having a bad day. This was an elected official, a senator of the Federal Republic unleashing chaos simply because the system did not bend to his whims.

This kind of conduct is not only unsenatorial; it is shameful. It is the same strong-arm tactic we have seen repeatedly from Nigerian politicians when election results do not favour them—muzzle dissent, distort process, bend institutions. That a man charged with the sacred duty of making laws could so blatantly trample on the rules governing civil aviation tells you all you need to know about the state of our political elite. These are matters arising!

Today’s display is not an isolated incident. It is a symptom of a political space now dominated by touts in agbada; men who believe that public office is a license to bypass protocol and dictate terms in every sphere of life. These are individuals who should, by any decent standard of justice, be answering for years of mismanagement and abuse of public funds. Instead, they sit in the halls of power, sustained by the very wealth they helped siphon from the people.

Oshiomhole’s transformation from labour activist to political gladiator has been marked by the very thuggery he once decried. His behaviour today mirrors the same bullish strategy often deployed to turn electoral defeats into Pyrrhic victories, intimidate the system, bully officials, and weaponize influence. It is not governance. It is gangsterism dressed in democratic regalia.

What happened at the airport should be a wake-up call. When men who are meant to be role models act with such impunity, what example is left for ordinary Nigerians? The fact that he thought he could hold an entire airport terminal hostage and walk away without consequences speaks to a system that shields the powerful, no matter how rotten their actions.

It is high time we reasserted the sanctity of public office. Being elected is not a free pass to act above the law. In any functional democracy, Oshiomhole would not only face sanctions from aviation authorities but would also be summoned by a senate ethics committee. But in Nigeria, the political class closes ranks when one of their own is called to account.

The Nigerian people deserve better. They deserve leaders who understand that public service is about humility, not hubris. Until we begin to hold our politicians accountable—not just at the ballot box but in their everyday actions—our democracy will remain a tragic caricature of its potential.

Senator Oshiomhole owes the nation an apology. Not just for missing his flight, but for missing the opportunity to behave like the statesman he claims to be.

Mr Chibuike Nwabuko, an Economist, Political Analyst and Human Rights Advocate writes from FCT, Abuja. He can be reached @ [email protected]

By Chibuike Nwabuko

ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Former Miniser of Education popularly known as Madam Due Process, Oby Ezekwesili has written a letter to the Senate, to as a matter of urgency, to course-Correct democratic Breaches and Injustice Against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Ezekwesili, who released her letter on her verified X account handle on monday, demanded among others that, Senate President steps aside and the Deputy Senate President @NGRSenate immediately convenes a session that rescinds the unconstitutional and illegal suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and reverses all punitive measures imposed on her so she resumes her duties as a duly elected Senator representing her Kogi Central constituency and gets the Fair Hearing due her within Senate Processes.

The letter reads in full:

Now that many more Citizens have caught up on and collectively condemned the unacceptable behavior and Injustice perpetrated by @Senator_Akpabio and Senators @NGRSenate against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan last week, let’s reiterate the set of Actions that We all should Demand until ACTED on by the Senate and Senators:

1. The Senate President steps aside and the Deputy Senate President @NGRSenate immediately convenes a session that rescinds the unconstitutional and illegal suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and reverses all punitive measures imposed on her so she resumes her duties as a duly elected Senator representing her Kogi Central constituency and gets the Fair Hearing due her within Senate Processes.

2. Cognizant that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has not sued for criminal charges in any court but has resubmitted her original Petition on the Sexual Harassment she alleges against @Senator_Akpabio , the Senate presided over by the Deputy Senate President should take swift actions on the following this week:

A. Resolve and announce that a prompt Independent Investigation into the resubmitted Petition by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is imperative and swiftly request @icpcnigeria to designate the Independent Investigation consistent with the ICPC Act which designates Sexual Harassment as one of the corrupt practices it can investigate and prosecute.

B. Reconstitute the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee under a new Chairperson with the mandate to commence a Public Hearing on the resubmitted Petition on Sexual Harassment by the Senate President @Senator_Akpabio .

C. The Committee receives informed recommendations from the Independent Investigation by ICPC-appointed investigator and appearances/oral and written testimonies and evidences from the two parties to the matter- Senators Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio respectively.

3. The Senate in Plenary receives the Report- Findings and Recommendations of the Ethics Committee, debates and refers the matter to the Attorney General as may be appropriate .

4. The Senate and HoR partner with Women in Nigeria groups and other relevant stakeholders like NBA and Nigeria Police to launch a comprehensive diagnostic Review of Laws, Regulations, Policies and Procedures that Prevent SGBV and Protect the Rights of Women in public and private spaces, identify existing barriers and gaps, develop and implement Specific Action Plan on a Fast Track timeline.

5. The Senate/ National Assembly commences a new process for reconsideration of the *Five Gender Bills* introduced but repugnantly thrown out in the 9th National Assembly.

On ALL the Actions, the Senate must prioritize Justice, Public Accountability, Transparency, Full Disclosure, Due Process and Supremacy of Public Interest.

6. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Women in Nigeria groups collaborate on a massive Behavioral Change and Transforming Regressive Norms Against Women campaign for leaders in public and private sectors and Nigerian citizens at large.

We can turn the Policy Window presented by this ugly incident to the best Opportunity ever presented to transform the country’s currently awful global ranking on the State of Affairs of Nigerian Girls and Women.

Let’s ALL do this together as a landmark courageous decision on this 2025 Women Month.

We are incredibly inspired by the courage and strength of the irrepressible Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan!

We stand on! We walk on.

*Urgent Letter To The Nigerian Senate to Course-Correct Democratic Breaches and Injustice Against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan*

Now that many more Citizens have caught up on and collectively condemned the unacceptable behavior and Injustice perpetrated by @Senator_Akpabio… pic.twitter.com/lCLid0zPP6
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) March 10, 2025

By Chibuike Nwabuko

ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Senator Neda Imasuen, the senator representing Edo South senatorial district and the chairman Senate Committee on Ethics, Priviledges and Public Petitions has reiterated the committee’s commitment to bringing justice to the common man.

The federal lawmaker has also urged the general public to use the committee for justice and education, highlighting its free and non-legalistic nature pointing out that the committee serves as an alternative dispute resolution step, with the power to ensure compliance with its decisions.

Neda recalls a case where a final-year student was rusticated from the University of Abuja due to alleged activities in student unionism. “The committee intervened, and the student was reinstated. The final year student was rusticated from the University because of his activities, alleged activities in student unionism, and haven’t written all his exams and his project, the students came, petitioned the school, and we invited the school. They came, and we deliberated. That took about two or three deliberations, and we were able to come to the resolution that we asked the University to take him back, and they complied”

Neda pointed another significant case involving two children shot by NDLEA , one killed and one blinded. The committee demanded a medical report, which confirmed the cause of death and NDLEA’s responsibility. NDLEA admitted culpability, and the committee is now negotiating compensation.

“We demanded for the medical report as to the cause of death. It was revealed that the cause of death was bullet, and NDLEA admitted to have been responsible for that bullet, even though negligently. So the big part of it has been solved. They admitted that they did it. There’s a medical report, which confirmed the death of that child and the other one that is blinded before us to see. NDLEA also have not denied that they are culpable of it. So what’s left for us is compensation, because there’s nothing else you can do. NDLEA offered 20 million. And we thought that was a bit small, We’re currently interrogating it with the House of Representatives to ensure that the family gets something reasonable from NDLEA”

Other petitions Neda said include unlawful suspensions, terminations, and denied promotions, which the committee investigated and compelled respondents to address.

“There are others who come before us to complain that they have been unlawfully suspended or terminated from the appointments, or they’ve been denied promotions for whatever reasons that they bring. At the end of the day, we interrogated all of these things, and then we we take position, then compel the other party, the respondent, to address the issue.

The legislator also said that the committee handles issues against various entities, including the police, customs, and Civil Service Commission.

“So we have many of these problems, either against the police, the customs, the Civil Service Commission, we have that before us now, and so on and so forth. So these are the kind of petitions that we see every other day and I’m glad that we are discussing it now”

Neda emphasized that the committee is not well-known to the public and he aims to
raise further awareness through the media about its services.

“It appears that this committee is not properly known. It’s not well known to the community, to our nation, people are not aware of the services we render to the ordinary man or woman, because it’s a committee that you don’t pay anything to come to, you don’t need a lawyer to represent you. If you have a lawyer, that’s fine, but you really don’t need a lawyer to represent you. So you don’t spend money before you get justice for your petition, and so it’s let me use this opportunity to let the world know, Nigerians at large, that we are here to serve them and we are serving them.”