Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of s3xual harassment during a live television interview.
Their dispute has been ongoing since last week after she refused to move to a new seat assigned to her by the Senate President.
Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, February 28, 2025, Natasha alleged that her troubles in the Senate began because she rejected Akpabio’s advances.
She recalled an incident in December 2023 when Akpabio gave her a tour of his house in Uyo and allegedly suggested they spend “quality time” together.
Detailing the encounter, she said: *“He took me around his house and when we got to a particular sitting room, he asked, ‘Do you like my house?’ I responded, ‘Of course, it’s a beautiful home with great interior design.’ Then he said, ‘Now that you’re a senator, I will make time for us to spend quality moments here—you’ll enjoy it.’ At that point, I stepped away because I wasn’t comfortable with the remark.”*
She also claimed that Akpabio deliberately obstructed her attempts to present a motion on the Ajaokuta Steel Company, linking his actions to her refusal to give in to his alleged demands.
“In February, I tried to move a motion on the issues affecting Ajaokuta Steel Company. I submitted it five times before it was finally approved on the sixth attempt. Several senators can confirm this. Each time it was listed, before taking it, he would say, *‘We can’t discuss this motion because the Senate’s mood doesn’t accommodate it.’*
“When I confronted him in his office and pleaded for the motion to be considered due to its significance to my constituents and the country, he told me: *‘Natasha, I am the Chief Presiding Officer of the Senate. You can gain a lot if you take care of me and make me happy.’* I simply pretended I didn’t hear that.”
Senator Natasha compared her experience to situations where female students are repeatedly failed by lecturers for rejecting their advances.
