New revelations have surfaced surrounding a petition brought before the Senate by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, aimed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The accusations, which are quite serious, include sexual harassment, abuse of power, and the obstruction of legislative operations. The document, formally filed with the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on March 4, 2025, outlines these charges in considerable detail.
In her complaint, Akpoti-Uduaghan detailed an incident on December 8, 2023, when she and her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, visited Akpabio’s residence in Akwa Ibom. During the visit, despite her husband’s presence, the Senate President allegedly made inappropriate comments towards her, suggesting they spend some “quality moment” together.
Elaborating on her claims, Akpoti-Uduaghan recounted a further incident in May 2024. She was allegedly invited to Akpabio’s private residence in Abuja under the guise of discussing legislative matters. During this meeting, Akpabio purportedly implied that he would grant her any legislative favor in exchange for her “making him happy.”
The repercussions of rejecting these advances, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged, included the repeated removal of her motion concerning the Ajaokuta Steel Company from the Senate’s agenda. She also referred to an episode in a Senate session where Akpabio reportedly demeaned her by calling her a “night club girl.” Though he later apologized, she viewed this as part of a pattern of intimidation and disrespect.
Further allegations in the petition accuse Akpabio of abusing his influence to engineer her removal as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content. This decision, she suggested, was linked to her campaigns for mini-LNG projects in Ajaokuta, which she believed Akpabio opposed in favor of initiatives in the Niger Delta region.
To strengthen her claims, Akpoti-Uduaghan alluded to previous accusations of sexual harassment faced by Akpabio, notably those from Dr. Joi Nunieh, ex-Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission in 2020. She firmly stated that such conduct is unacceptable and emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the Senate.
Despite these alarming allegations, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions reportedly dismissed the petition, deeming it “dead on arrival.” At a plenary session, Akpabio refuted the charges, remarking, “I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women.”
