The lawmaker representing Kogi Central at the national assembly, senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has taken her allegations against Godswill Akpabio to Sky News, claiming she endured over a year of unwanted advances from him.
During an interview on Wednesday with the British news network, Akpoti-Uduaghan, reiterated that her suspension from the Senate was not due to misconduct, as officially stated, but a direct consequence of speaking out against Akpabio’s alleged sexual harassment.
She alleged that the President of the Senate, repeatedly told her she must “please him” to fully enjoy her privileges as a senator.
“I made an allegation of sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on March 5, 2025, and the very next day, I was suspended for six months. I believe my suspension is illegal, unjust, and just a way of silencing me,” she said.
While detailing her experience, she added, “I experienced sexual harassment over the past year at the hands of the Senate President, and because I refused to yield to his demands, it turned into malice whereby my rights and privileges as a senator were deprived.
“I found the courage to speak up; yes, the breaking point was moving me from that seat. I have had to endure a whole lot in silence.”
But when asked about the Senate’s claim that she was suspended for gross misconduct, Akpoti-Uduaghan dismissed it as an attempt to suppress her voice.
“Yes, they did mention that I was suspended on grounds of gross misconduct, but can they please provide what the gross misconduct is that amounts to a six-month suspension the day after I submitted a petition? I was suspended because of that petition, not because of any gross misconduct.
“Let’s talk about the gross misconduct that has happened in the Nigerian chambers. I was only told to move, and I refused to move my seat because I deserved to be notified; I deserved to be given a chance to explain why I should retain my seat,” she stated.
She further argued that her suspension underscores double standards in the Senate, as male colleagues involved in more disruptive conduct have not faced similar penalties.
“I have seen in that chamber where men fight, where Senators throw items at each other, curse each other, shout at each other, but they were not suspended. Why? Because they were men. Things got difficult for me; I was always complaining.
“My husband would actually walk up to him because they are friends, saying, ‘My wife has a very important bill, her constituency needs this, why don’t you give her a chance to speak? And he would tell me, ‘Next time.’ So he deliberately kept on denying me this.
“Each time I walked to him he’d tell me, ‘Right here I am the chief presiding officer of the National Assembly, so you have to please me, make me happy to get these privileges.’ And that happened several times. Because I refused, it developed into malice. Which other way was I supposed to make my voice heard?”