Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alleging sexual harassment, misuse of power, and obstruction of legislative duties. New information about the petition has surfaced.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
The formal presentation of the petition, dated March 4, 2025, to the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 10th Senate took place on Wednesday. When Akpoti-Uduaghan visited Akpabio’s home in Akwa Ibom on December 8, 2023, she claimed that he made unwanted approaches on her. “My husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, and I visited the Respondent’s residence in Akwa Ibom State on or around December 8, 2023,” the document says.
She asserted that the Senate President made offensive comments and recommended that she “spend quality moment” with her husband in spite of his presence. The Petition’s Allegations The senator further said that in May 2024, under the guise of discussing legislative issues, Akpabio invited her to his private home in Abuja. “You know I am the Senate President; I will give you whatever you want, all you have to do is make me happy,” he allegedly said at the meeting.
Akpabio is quoted in the petition as stating, “Senator Natasha, you can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.” Because of her noncompliance, Akpoti-Uduaghan said, her motion over the Ajaokuta Steel Company was repeatedly taken out of the Senate’s Order Paper. Additionally, the petition referenced an instance in which Akpabio allegedly referred to her as a “night club girl” during a Senate session. She characterized the comment as part of a larger pattern of intimidation, even though he eventually apologized.
She further claimed that Akpabio had abused his position by planning to have her removed from her position as the Senate Committee on Local Content’s chairperson. She said Akpabio attempted to sabotage her support for mini-Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects in Ajaokuta in favor of projects in the Niger Delta, and she connected this action to her advocacy for these projects. Dr. Joi Nunieh, the former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), filed sexual harassment claims against Akpabio in 2020, which were cited in the petition. Akpoti-Uduaghan demanded a comprehensive investigation and contended that such behavior should not be accepted.
The Senate’s Response The Senate Committee was asked in the petition to look into the claims and make sure that people were held accountable. “On this date, the Respondent, in a display of malice, refused to allow me to respond to a point of order raised against my conduct, calling on the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove me from the Senate and summarily suspending me,” Akpoti-Uduaghan added, referring to an altercation at a plenary session on February 20 with Akpabio over seat arrangements.
However, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions rejected the petition, calling it “dead on arrival,” according to a Tribune Online report on Wednesday. Akpabio refuted the accusations during the plenary session, saying, “I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women.”CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
