THE Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has again reaffirmed her allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, stating that she has evidence to support her claims and will present it in court at the appropriate time.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television program on Thursday night, April 3, the embattled senator addressed growing questions over whether she had proof to support her allegations against Akpabio.
She maintained that her suspension from the Senate was politically motivated and linked to her refusal to yield to Akpabio’s alleged advances.
“At the right time and the right space, I will present the evidence that I have,” she stated. “But let me say this, when I was suspended, I wasn’t given a chance for the matter to be investigated, and the committee that was set up did not invite me.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier accused Akpabio of targeting her after she rejected his alleged advances, claiming that her suspension was orchestrated to silence her.
She made the allegations following the altercation over the sitting arrangement that led to Akpabio ordering the sergeant-at-arms to eject her from the Senate chamber.
She said her stance towards the advances was the reason for her incessant conflicts with the Senate President at plenaries within the National Assembly Complex.
Speaking during an earlier interview on Arise Television’s “The Morning Show” on Friday, February 28, the female lawmaker claimed that some of Akpabio’s love proposals were made to her on the phone and face to face in her husband’s presence.
But following her allegations, the Kogi senator was suspended from the Senate in March over what the Senate described as violations of the ground rules.
However, Akpabio denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. My late single mother raised me very well, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.”
The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25 and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse. He urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from concluding and instead await the court’s decision on the matter.
Although the Kogi senator, on Wednesday, March 5, submitted an official petition regarding the sexual harassment and abuse of office by Akpabio, the Ethics Committee threw out the petition, citing key procedural oversights that allegedly undermined the petition’s legitimacy.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, however, resubmitted the petition shortly before her suspension.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M