Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba refused on Tuesday to read an apology prepared for her upon her return to the Senate weeks after being suspended.
The subsequent confrontation between her and Senate Speaker Amason Amason Kingi quickly escalated the situation, resulting in her walking out of the House without apologising as required.
According to Kingi, one of the conditions of Orwoba’s return was that she deliver an apology to the Senate after her 79-day suspension was reduced to 30 days.
“In accordance with the resolutions passed on September 30, 2023, and on February 26, 2025, Senator Gloria Orwoba is expected to tender an apology to the Senate, Honourable Senators, the Clerk of the Senate, and the Secretariat of Parliament before being admitted to the Senate,” stated Kingi.
“I now invite Senator Gloria Orwoba to tender an apology in a manner prescribed in the report of the committee on powers and privileges and as adopted by the Senate.”
She was expected to read the apology verbatim without any omissions or additions.
“Mr Speaker, I, Senator Gloria Orwoba, hereby tender my unreserved apology to this Senate. I undertake that I shall abide by the responsibilities of leadership as set out in the constitution, the Leadership and Integrity Act 2012, and the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act 2017. I therefore beseech to be admitted to the chamber. I thank you,” Orwoba read.
However, this did not satisfy the Speaker, who noticed that Orwoba had skipped several sections of the apology that had been approved by the Senate plenary.
According to the prescribed apology, which was later read by Speaker Kingi, it included a clause acknowledging that she had acted in a manner that violated Parliamentary privilege and reflected negatively on Parliament’s dignity and integrity.
However, Orwoba stated that she could not read the section because it would be self-incriminating in her pending court case. She also insisted that she had apologized to her colleagues several times for her actions.
Speaker Kingi issued an ultimatum to Orwoba after she refused to read the statement in its entirety stating, “You either read this apology as prescribed or you go think about it and come back any day or any time you will be willing to read it as is prescribed.”
It was at this point that Orwoba full of emotions stood her ground, refusing to perjure herself on the ongoing court case and opting to walk away instead.
