A woman who participated in a protest in support of Senate President Godswill Akpabio admitted she was unaware of the allegations against him. The demonstration, which took place at the National Assembly on Wednesday, featured two opposing groups—one backing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central and the other supporting Akpabio.
While Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters called for Akpabio’s resignation and an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, the pro-Akpabio group staged a counter-protest. They demanded an apology from Akpoti-Uduaghan to “the Senate, the Senate President, and all Nigerian women.”
However, a video clip posted on X by lawyer and media personality Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie revealed that some participants in the pro-Akpabio protest were unclear about the reason for their demonstration. One woman in the video openly admitted she did not fully understand the allegations against Akpabio but had joined the protest because she felt compelled to support him.
“I am supporting him because I did not see any wrong in what they are saying. Though I don’t know much about the details, I am just supporting him because my mind led me,” she stated.
When asked whether she also supported Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, she confessed, “I don’t even really know what the whole story is about… Why I came out here today is because they said we should go out and support Akpabio, that he should remain as our Senate President.”
Background to the Controversy
The dispute between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio first gained public attention in February over a seating arrangement issue in the Senate. Akpoti-Uduaghan objected to a change in her assigned seat, claiming she was being unfairly denied her privilege.
Shortly afterward, in an interview on Arise TV, she accused Akpabio of making suggestive remarks toward her, alleging that her challenges in the Senate began after she rejected his advances. On Wednesday, she formally petitioned the Senate over her claims of sexual harassment.
The Senate has since referred her petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct for review.
