Fresh insights have surfaced regarding a petition submitted to the Senate by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The petition, dated March 4, 2025, accuses Akpabio of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and obstruction of legislative duties.
Akpoti-Uduaghan alleges that Akpabio made inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his residence in Akwa Ibom on December 8, 2023. According to her statement, despite being accompanied by her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, Akpabio allegedly made suggestive remarks and implied that she should “spend quality time” with him.
She further claimed that in May 2024, Akpabio invited her to his private residence in Abuja under the pretext of discussing legislative matters. During the meeting, he allegedly stated, “You know I am the Senate President; I will give you whatever you want, all you have to do is make me happy.” Akpoti-Uduaghan asserted that her refusal to comply resulted in her motion regarding the Ajaokuta Steel Company being repeatedly removed from the Senate’s Order Paper.
The petition also referenced an incident on the Senate floor where Akpabio allegedly referred to her as a “night club girl.” Though he later apologized, she viewed the remark as part of a broader pattern of intimidation. Additionally, she accused Akpabio of using his position to orchestrate her removal as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content, linking it to her advocacy for mini-Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects in Ajaokuta, which she claimed Akpabio sought to undermine in favor of projects in the Niger Delta region.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition also cited previous allegations of sexual harassment against Akpabio, including those made in 2020 by Dr. Joi Nunieh, the former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). She urged the Senate Committee to investigate the claims and ensure accountability.
Referring to a confrontation during a plenary session on February 20, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio maliciously refused to allow her to respond to a point of order raised against her, directing the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove her and subsequently suspending her from the Senate.
However, reports from Tribune Online indicate that the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions dismissed the petition as “dead on arrival.”
In response, Akpabio denied all allegations, stating during a plenary session that he had never abused any woman. “I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women,” he asserted.
The controversy surrounding the petition continues to generate reactions within the political landscape, with many calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations.
