A purported attempt to recall him from the National Assembly has alarmed Senator Ned Imasuen, who represents the Edo South Senatorial District and is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions.
According to Imasuen, the scheme is being planned by people from outside his district, who are allegedly paying for some people to visit Kogi State in order to improve his recall.
He made this revelation during a news conference in Benin City on Friday.
“Information reaching me is that some persons have been taken to Kogi State to work on my recall from the Senate.
“There is no political link between the people of Edo State and those of Kogi. Therefore, such a move cannot succeed, and those plotting it should desist forthwith.”
“It is this plot that has necessitated this press conference. I was advised from the beginning not to say anything, and I have strictly adhered to that advice.”
“But considering what is happening in Benin, there are certain things I find very reprehensible and difficult to understand. From what I have gathered, some people have been paid—some have even been taken to Kogi to be briefed on what to do, and they were given money for that purpose.”
“So they are here to work for their money, but, surprisingly, I do not see how someone from Kogi can come to Edo and start telling our people to throw stones at their own roofs.”
“That is something strange to me. I suppose it is the hunger in the land that makes some people willing to sell their mothers, their parents, or whatever is before them for a mere meal. I understand their plight,” he stated.
Imasuen insisted that he was never prejudiced against the troubled senator from Kogi Central, but he did express regret for the report of his committee that resulted in Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension from the Senate.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, my role was to address what transpired on the Senate floor, not sexual harassment. The Senate has standing orders that must be followed to the letter, and she did not adhere to them.”
“The Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions is one of the committees that must be established as soon as the Senate is constituted. It is one of the seven standing committees and an important one.”
“I was not biased, and I am still not biased. On the issue of sexual harassment, the first petition submitted by the petitioner was signed by her, which is against our standard rules.”
“A petition cannot be signed by you if you are a senator and also the petitioner. If you are involved in the matter, you cannot sign the petition yourself.”
“When I was given this position, little did I know that the ongoing saga would unfold. But, of course, when you hold a position, everything passes through your desk. You do not run away from it—you attend to matters as they come.”
“And in all fairness, I have been very impartial in my work. I must also put on record that the issue before my committee was about conduct on the Senate floor; it had absolutely nothing to do with sexual harassment.”
“The issue of sexual harassment only arose after the first petition was submitted to my committee. We have standing rules, and those rules must be followed, which we did to the letter. It is not a one-man committee—it comprises about 28 to 29 members.”
“I am merely the chairman. I have nothing personal against anyone. Since its inception, the committee has handled a variety of matters—whether oil spillage in the Niger Delta, a student being rusticated from university, someone feeling they have been denied a promotion, or a military officer believing they were unjustly dismissed.”
“All kinds of complaints and petitions come before my committee,” he said.
