“I Found the Courage to Speak Up” – Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Talks to Sky News on Six-Month Suspension

In a recent interview with Sky News, the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, insisted that her suspension was a direct result of her accusations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

She alleged that Akpabio had told her she needed to “please him” to fully enjoy her privileges as a Senator, describing her suspension as a deliberate attempt to silence her.

“I made an allegation of s3xual harassment against the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on the fifth day of March 2025 and the very next day, I was suspended for six months. I believe my suspension is illegal, it’s unjust, and it’s just a way of silencing me.

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.” she said.

Akpoti-Uduaghan compared her alleged mistreatment to that of her male colleagues, claiming there was a double standard in the Senate.

“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.

You see, 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.” she said.

She further alleged that she had faced “sexual harassment” from Akpabio for over a year and that her refusal to comply with his demands resulted in a campaign of intimidation.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that Akpabio repeatedly obstructed her efforts to introduce motions and advance crucial bills for her constituency. She added that even her husband attempted to intervene, but his efforts were suppressed.

“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.

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’d tell me, ‘Next time, 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?” she asked.