Legal experts have applauded Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s decision to recuse himself from the presidential panel probing sexual harassment allegations made against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The panel, inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu on April 2 and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, was tasked with investigating the claims that have sparked widespread national debate. Initially, the panel included representatives nominated by both Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Reacting to Akpabio’s withdrawal, former president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, said the move was both strategic and ethical.

“He decided not to be part of that committee because if he is, there will be a serious assumption that he is an interested party. So, the best thing is for him to step down, which is the right thing to do,” Unegbu stated.

Adedotun Otakumaiya, a Principal Partner at Deux Loadstar Chambers in Lagos, echoed this view, praising the Senate President’s adherence to legal principles.