Suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has publicly alleged on Sky News that she endured over a year of sexual advances from Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In the interview with British television station, Sky News, she maintained that her suspension was a direct result of her speaking out against Akpabio’s alleged sexual harassment, rather than the “gross misconduct” cited by the Senate.
She claimed Akpabio repeatedly told her she needed to “please him” to access the benefits of her senatorial position.
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She said, “I made an allegation of sexual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on March 5, 2025, and the very next day, I was suspended for six months. I believe my suspension is illegal, unjust, and just a way of silencing me.
“I experienced sexual harassment over the past year in the hands of the Senate President, and this sexual harassment, because I refused to yield to his demands, turned into malice whereby my rights and privileges as a senator were deprived.
“I found the courage to speak up; yes, the breaking point was moving me from that seat; I have had to endure a whole lot in silence.”
When confronted with the Senate’s claim that her suspension was due to gross misconduct, Akpoti-Uduaghan dismissed it as a deliberate effort to silence her.
“Yes, they did mention that I was suspended on grounds of gross misconduct, but can they please provide what the gross misconduct is that amounts to a six-month suspension the day after I submitted a petition? I was suspended because of that petition, not because of any gross misconduct.
“Let’s talk about the gross misconduct that had happened in the Nigerian chambers. I was only told to move, and I refused to move my seat because I deserved to be notified; I deserved to be given a chance to explain why I should retain my seat,” she noted.
To support her allegations, Akpoti-Uduaghan pointed out that she has witnessed male senators engage in physical altercations, shouting, and verbal abuse without facing any disciplinary action.
She argued that her being singled out for punishment highlights the hypocrisy and double standards within the Senate.
She said, “I have seen in that chamber where men fight, where Senators throw items at each other, curse each other, shout at each other, but they were not suspended. Why? Because they were men. Things got difficult for me; I was always complaining.
“My husband would actually walk up to him because they are friends, saying, ‘My wife has a very important bill, her constituency needs this, why don’t you give her a chance to speak? And he would tell me, ‘Next time. So he deliberately kept on denying me this.
“Each time I walked to him he’d tell me, ‘Right here I am the chief presiding officer of the National Assembly, so you have to please me, make me happy to get these privileges.’ And that happened several times because I refused. It developed into malice. Which other way was I supposed to make my voice heard?”
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months for violating Senate rules after objecting to a new seating arrangement.
Her appearance on Sky News follows her presentation at a United Nations forum, the International Parliamentary Union, where she alleged political victimization.
Her suspension on March 6 stemmed from a confrontation with Senate leadership over seating arrangements she perceived as discriminatory.
She escalated her accusations by publicly alleging on Arise TV that Akpabio was punishing her for rejecting his sexual advances.
During the Women in Parliament session at the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in New York, she called for international intervention to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable.
She also condemned the punitive measures imposed on her, including the removal of her security detail, salary cuts, and a six-month ban from the National Assembly.
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