Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba walked out of the Senate on Tuesday afternoon after refusing to read an apology prepared for her by the House. This followed her month-long suspension for breaching the Parliamentary Code of Conduct.
Speaker Amason Kingi ruled that Orwoba could only be admitted back into the Senate after reading the exact apology without any modifications.
However, Orwoba declined, stating that the prescribed apology was self-incriminating and could jeopardize her ongoing court case. She instead attempted to read her own version of an apology, which the Speaker rejected.
Orwoba argued that she had faced harassment allegedly orchestrated by the Clerk of the Senate, who she claimed had denied her travel opportunities while favoring other Senators.
The Senate leadership, however, dismissed her claims, insisting that she had failed to follow the correct procedures in addressing her grievances.
