Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Friday, alleged that she has been maligned, victimised, and denied privileges because she refused an inappropriate relationship with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Featuring on Arise News’ Morning Show on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said that Akpabio had been making unwelcome advances toward her. She accused Akpabio of blocking her motion because she refused to engage in an inappropriate affair with him.
In recent time, there has been an altercation between Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio over seating arrangements on the Senate floor.
However, narrating her ordeal with Akpabio, she said:
‘The Senate President made a mistake by not allowing me to speak on that Order 10.
‘The Senate President has the right to allocate seats, and senators should adhere, but for a senator to invoke Order 10, it means their privileges have been trampled upon, and that can be raised anywhere at any time.
‘So, once a senator shouts Order 10, even if they are being dragged on the floor, they are supposed to be heard.
‘Once I raised Order 10, the Senate President ought to have allowed me to speak. He could have used his discretion to move that complaint to the Ethics and Privileges Committee or overrule it, but he failed to do that. Instead, he ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove me from the chambers and prepare for my suspension.
‘I did mention that in the Senate, I have been dehumanised, maligned, and all that, and I believe that this situation was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
‘Many people do not know what I’m about to say, and I’m going to speak my truth while the Senate President is allowed to counter it.
‘It all started on December 8, 2023, a day before my birthday and his. We were all in Akwa Ibom, and he held my hand, saying he wanted to show me around his house. My husband was walking behind us.
‘I noticed that he hastened his pace while still holding my hand, and then he got to a particular sitting room and said: “Do you like my house”? I said, “Of course, sir, every room is beautiful”. He then said: “Now that you are a senator, I’m going to create time for us to come and spend quality moments here—you will enjoy it”.
‘When I turned to look at my husband to see if he had heard that or not, the Senate President also turned and said: “Let me show you my chapel as well”.
‘That evening, we left his house at about 11 pm, and my husband asked what the Senate President told me. I wondered whether I should tell him what the Senate President said about bringing me there to ‘have a good time’ or if I should just let it go because I knew how much my husband adored him.
‘In February, I wanted to move a motion for the investigation of anti-corruption practices at Ajaokuta Steel Company. I listed that motion five times, but it was only on the sixth attempt that it was approved. Many senators can testify to that. Each time the motion was listed, he would say, “Senator Natasha, we can’t take this motion because the good of the Senate does not accommodate it”.
‘He kept doing that, so I went to his office and said, “You know how important the Ajaokuta Steel Company is to me and my people. I’ve noticed that you have repeatedly stepped down this motion”. He replied: “Natasha, I’m the Chief Presiding Officer of the Senate. You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy”.
‘At that point, I said I would pretend I didn’t hear that. He then said: “The ball is in your court”. When I got home, I told my husband to speak to the Senate President to allow my motion to go through.
‘You know when a student keeps failing because they refuse to sleep with a lecturer? That is exactly what I have been facing, in simple terms.
‘Regarding the nightclub incident, I believe that was not a slip of the tongue. He had told me that there are a number of ways we can have fun if we travel’.
