The ongoing controversy between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken a dramatic turn as the Kogi Central lawmaker has accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.
Akpabio has strongly denied the allegations through his media consultant, Kenny Okulogbo, dismissing them as baseless and politically motivated.
During an interview with Arise Television today, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio had blocked her legislative motions from being heard on the Senate floor because she had rejected his sexual advances.
She claimed that her refusal led to persistent harassment and attempts to malign her character, both in his home in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and within his office.
“My issue with Akpabio started on the 8th of December, 2023, when my husband and I attended a pre-birthday invitation extended by the Senate President at his residence in Uyo,” she stated. “We had earlier gone to his house at Ikot-Ekpene, and he held my hand, saying he wanted to show me around. Just the three of us—my husband and him. I noticed he hastened his pace while still holding my hand, and when we got to a particular sitting room, he asked, ‘Do you like my house?’ I said, ‘Of course, yes.’ Then he said, ‘Now that you are a Senator, you are going to create time for us to spend quality time here, and you will enjoy it.’”
The lawmaker also detailed how she struggled to get her motion on corrupt practices at the Ajaokuta Steel Company listed for discussion in the Senate.
She alleged that Akpabio’s obstruction of her motion was another attempt to pressure her into compliance.
“I listed this motion five times, and it was only on the sixth attempt that it appeared on the order paper. When I approached the Senate President to inquire why my motion had been repeatedly stepped down, he told me, ‘Natasha, I am the Chief Presiding Officer of the Senate. You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.’ At that point, I told him that I would pretend I didn’t hear that.”
She further likened her experience to a student being punished by a lecturer for refusing to sleep with him.
The Kogi senator also revealed that some of her colleagues had warned her to comply with a recent seating change in the Senate, claiming it was a trap.
According to her, she was suddenly informed that her seat had been reassigned without prior notice.
“I was approached by a sergeant-at-arms in the Senate chamber who informed me that my seat had been changed by the Senate President.
This was news to me because I had attended the last session without any mention of a change.
Before the Senate President could announce my suspension, I needed to invoke Order 10, which serves as an SOS for Senators who feel their rights have been breached. The Senate President made a mistake by not allowing me to speak on that Order 10,” she explained.
However, Akpabio’s camp has pushed back against the allegations, calling them a smear campaign. In an interview with newsmen Akpabio’s media consultant, Kenny Okulogbo, said that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims were entirely false and politically motivated.
“All that Senator Natasha said are tissues of lies,” Okulogbo stated. “She is just angry because she was removed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content.”
The allegations have further intensified the tension between both lawmakers, with political observers questioning the implications of these claims on the Senate’s integrity and gender dynamics within Nigeria’s legislative system.
As the controversy continues to unfold, it remains to be seen what impact this latest development will have on both Akpabio’s leadership and Akpoti-Uduaghan’s political standing in the Senate.
