Yemi Obafemi
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio made inappropriate advances toward her, including suggestive remarks and gestures.
Speaking in an interview with BBC on Tuesday, Natasha recounted her encounter at Akpabio’s country home, she claimed he squeezed her hand in a suggestive manner and hinted at private meetings.
She also recalled an instance in the Senate where Akpabio commented on her not wearing a wedding ring, implying it was an “invitation to treat.”
She said: “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, 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.”
When asked if Akpabio had ever made advances toward her inside the Senate chamber, she recounted another incident, “There was a time when I rushed to work and forgot to wear my ring. There were about five senators there. He said, ‘Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring, is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan has condemned her suspension from the Nigerian Senate, calling it a deliberate attempt to silence her.
She said: “I am being victimised. My suspension is a way to silence me.”
