THE war of words between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) has intensified following her suspension from the Senate over allegations of misconduct.
While Akpabio accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of making baseless allegations, the Kogi lawmaker fired back, insisting that she was not the first person to accuse him of sexual harassment and challenged him to submit to an independent investigation.
The dispute became a public spectacle two weeks ago, when during plenary, Akpoti-Uduaghan rejected the relocation of her seat, boldly telling the Senate President that she was not afraid of him.
Although Akpabio attempted to downplay the situation, Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared on a live television programme the next morning, where she accused him of sexual harassment.
Senate Suspends Akpoti-Uduaghan Amid Public Outcry
Last week, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months based on the recommendation of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
The decision has drawn backlash from rights groups and activists, who insist that the senator was denied a fair hearing.
Akpabio: Natasha Fond Of Traumatic, “Useless” Allegations
Speaking at an event commemorating International Women’s Day, Naija News reports that Akpabio portrayed himself as a victim of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s accusations, suggesting that her past claims of sexual harassment against others had proven false.
“It was only yesterday I realised that what we are talking about only happened when there was a change of seat. That was when all hell was let loose and all sorts of allegations came up.
“This was said to have happened on the 8th of December, a day before my birthday. From that date till now, I never heard, my wife never heard, no Nigerian ever heard, even her husband never heard any issue of sexual harassment until her committee was changed, and her seat was changed,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President further questioned the credibility of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s past allegations, warning that her accusations were damaging the image of the 10th Senate.
