Victor Ezeja
Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has accused Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of making sexual advances towards her.
Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio had a heated exchange last week Thursday, 20 February 2025, over the reassignment of her seat at the beginning of plenary. She refused to move to the new seat, arguing that she was not duly informed before the reassignment was made. After the altercation, the senate leadership referred the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee for her to face disciplinary action.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSpeaking in an interview on Arise News Morning on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she has been facing a lot of issues which many people didn’t know, adding that the “seat change was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.”
According to the Kogi senator, her trouble started when she refused alleged advances from the Senate President.
She said it began in December 2023 when Akpabio started making inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his residence in Akwa Ibom, a day before the senate president’s birthday which was also her birthday.
She said: “It all started on 8th December, 2023, which was a day before his birthday and mine — we are birthday mates. We were all in Akwa Ibom because he had a big fanfare in the stadium. Myself, my husband, and a few of his close friends.
“At first, we were in his house in Ikot-Ekpene. Then we all moved to his house in Uyo at about 8 pm. He held my hands and he said he wanted to show me round his house. My husband was walking behind us, just the three of us.
“We were walking around from room to room. He showed me the beautiful interior.
“I noticed that he hastened his pace while still holding my hands and my husband was behind on his phone. But he was catching up wherever he could. He got to this particular sitting room and he said ‘do you like my house?’. I said, of course sir.
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“He 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. At that point, I just pulled away… that I don’t understand what he meant.”
She said she refused to disclose to her husband, who was walking closely from behind, what the senate president said when he asked her.
Her husband later instructed her not to travel out of the country alone or visit Akpabio’s guest house ever again.
Akpoti-Uduaghan further alleged that the senate president repeatedly stepped down her motion on some issues she considered critical and when she met Akpabio at his office he told her that she could “enjoy a whole lot if you just take care of me.”
She said she refused to acknowledge the statement, but Akpabio replied, “The ball is in your court.”
The Kogi lawmaker claimed that her situation is akin to that of a student who is being punished for refusing advances from a randy lecturer.
She has also filed a suit against the senate president and his aide over alleged defamation, demanding N100 billion as damages.
