Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central, has alleged that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made advances towards her, including flirtatious remarks, in the presence of her husband.
In an interview on AriseTV morning Show, Natasha detailed an encounter at Akpabio’s residence in Ikot Ekpene and later in Uyo, where she claimed the Senate president attempted to establish an inappropriate relationship with her.
“And at first we were at Ikot Ekpene, we were in his house in Ikot Ekpene for his birthday. Then we all moved to his house in Uyo, which was about 8 p.m. And he held my hand and said he wanted to show me around his house. My husband was walking behind us, just three of us.
“We were walking around from room to room. He showed me the beautiful interior. This was done by this, by that, this designer here, he bought this from us. And then I noticed that he hastened his pace while still holding my hand. My husband was behind, still on his phone, but he was catching up whenever he could.
“And then he got to this particular sitting room, and he said, ‘Do you like my house?’ I said, ‘Of course, sir. Every room, beautiful, nice interior, quality taste.’ He said,
‘Now that you’re a senator, I’m going to create a time for us to come spend quality moments here. You will enjoy it.’”
According to Natasha, she pulled away at this point, confused by the comment.
“My husband was already near me, and the way he looked at me and looked at him, I was beginning to wonder, did he hear part of that inciting statement or not? And then the Senate president, too, I saw that he also had that thought, like, did my husband hear the invitation to treat or not?”
The Kogi senator further alleged that Akpabio’s behavior influenced Senate proceedings, particularly regarding motions she raised on the floor.
“In February, I wanted to move a motion. It was the sixth time that it was listed on the order paper that it was approved. Many senators can testify to that. Each time the motion is listed, just before he takes it, he will say, ‘Oh, Senator Natasha, we can’t take this motion, because the mood of the Senate does not accommodate it.’
I went to him in his office and I said, ‘Senate President, you know how important this is to me. You know how important it is to my people and to Nigerians. I’ve noticed that you have stepped down this motion.’
Natasha stated that she later confided in her husband about the difficulty in getting her motion passed but did not initially disclose Akpabio’s alleged proposition.
“My husband had to take a trip to London. Then the Senate President travelled to London. My husband met with the Senate president in London and pleaded with him, ‘Let my wife take this motion on Ajaokuta; it is very important to her.’”
She also likened her experience to the challenges faced by female students who are failed by lecturers for refusing inappropriate demands.
She explained,
“You know the situation we see in universities whereby a student is continuously being failed just because she has not slept with the lecturer? That’s what I’ve been facing, in simple terms.”
However, no official response has been issued on the allegations by the office of Senate president as at press time.
