Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has described the Nigerian Senate as operating like a cult, alleging that many lawmakers are afraid to speak up due to fear of victimisation.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, made this claim during an interview with the BBC, where she revisited her sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The senator’s remarks come days after she took the case to the United Nations in search of justice. Since making her allegations, Akpoti-Uduaghan has faced backlash, including a six-month suspension from the Senate, while Akpabio has received widespread support from fellow senators.
Speaking on the incident, she stated, “I am being victimized. My suspension is a means of silencing me.”
Recalling an alleged encounter, she said, “It was episode after episode, moment after moment. We were at his country home. He was taking me around his house. My husband was walking behind us. He held my hand.
“He then squeezed my hands in a very suggestive way. We women, we know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way.
“And he went, ‘now that you’re in the senate, I’ll make an opportunity for us to come here and have a good moment’, you know, along that line.”
Asked if Akpabio ever made any advances towards her in the chamber or the senate, Natasha said: “There was a time when I rushed to work forgetting to wear my ring, there were about five senators there”.
He (Akpabio) stated, “Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring, is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this”, she added.
However, Senate Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Nwaebonyi denied the allegations, stating that Akpabio never made any sexual advances or inappropriate remarks toward Akpoti-Uduaghan, whether at his residence or in the Senate chamber.
Nwaebonyi also rejected Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim that the senate is trying to silence her.
“Senator Natasha’s legislative activities show this claim is not true,” he added.
