Wife to Godswill Akpabio, Nigeria’s Senate President, Unoma, has threatened legal action against the Kogi central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for alleging sexual harassment against her husband.
The Kogi Senator had earlier on Friday alleged Akpabio has been denying her privileges as a senator because she rejected his sexual advances.
Appearing on Arise TV on Friday afternoon, Unoma said the accusation against the husband was unfortunate and demeaning to her family.
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She said the Senate President had a lot of women around him while he was governor of oil-rich Akwa Ibom State, but at no time did any of the women accuse him of sexual gratification.
Senate President’s wife said, “The accusation—I would rather call it unfortunate—is very demeaning because that is a family. We knew the husband before the husband married her. We’ve always known the man.
“They were very good friends or they are still very good friends. So I really don’t understand where this is coming from.
“I believe that for somebody to make such an allegation, there must be a discussion at home. There must have been a sanction or an approval. We are going to say this; go ahead and say it.
“If the approval had come from the husband, our friend, I believe that he would have spoken to me. Because we are close.
“And then if the wife had complained about such a thing, and he still comes, and he’s normal, there is no man that the wife would tell, oh, your friend harassed me,
“I know how you men behave; that will not frown. First of all, the attitude towards the person will change. But this attitude never changed,” she argued.
Mrs Akpabio stressed that “if you are talking about the house, we don’t have any house in Ikot Ekpene. Ikot Ekpene is a local government area.
“We are from Essien Udim local government area. Our country home is in Essien Udim, in Ukana. And I didn’t hear anything about Ukana. We have a beautiful home in Ukana.
“If you are talking about Uyo, the house in Uyo, I’m always there. I own a school. I’m always in my school. When I finish school, I go home.
“So the home you are talking about, I’m always there. The senate president is a very, very responsible man and disciplined,” she said of the husband.
She argued that, “As a governor, the number of women we have, we had them in government. I don’t think any government has had that number of women.
“But in Akwa Ibom, when he was governor, a lot of women were involved in governance. None of them, not one, ever said something like this.
”In the past, we’ve allowed people to get away with a lot of things. And he would always tell me, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, leave the kitchen. I’m here to serve my people. They would throw mud at me. I said, but this mud is becoming too much.
“Why can’t you do something? So I’m now the one going for a legal redress,” she vowed.
Natasha accuses Akpabio of 3exual harrassment
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of maligning her because she rejected his s3xual advances.
Recall that last Thursday, Senator Natasha and Akpabio had a face-off in the Senate chamber over seating arrangement.
During her outburst to the Senate President, Natasha accused him of maligning her and that she will not be silenced by him
In an interview with Arise TV this morning, February 28, Senator Natasha who is married to a Delta State-born billionaire businessman, said her issue with Akpabio began in December 2023 during an official visit to Akpabio’s native Akwa Ibom State.
She alleged that the Senate President used the opportunity to invite her and her husband to tour his private house in Uyo, the state capital.
Natasha alleged that it was during the tour of the magnificent building that Akpabio told her that he could create a space for them both in the building to have fun.
‘’It all started on 8th of December 2023, which is a day before his birthday and mine, we are birthday mates. We were all in Akwa Ibom, myself, my husband and a few of his close friends. At first, we were at his house in Ikot Ekpene. Then we all moved his house in Uyo, and this was about 8 p.m.
Then he held my hand and said he wanted to show me around his house. My husband was walking behind us. We were walking from room to room. He showed me the beautiful interior and I noticed that he hastened his pace while still holding my hand. My husband was behind, still on his phone, but he was catching up whenever he could. When he got to this particular sitting room, he said ‘‘Do you like my house?’,
I said ‘‘Of course Sir, every room is beautiful, nice interior, quality taste’ and then he said
‘Now that you are a Senator, I am going to create time for us to come spend quality time, you will enjoy it.’’
Senator Natasha said that at that point she pulled back and was not sure of what to make of what she had just heard. She said her husband immediately looked at her and him, and then she wondered if he heard the inciting statement Akpabio had allegedly made. She mentioned that her husband later asked her what had happened.
‘’My husband asked me ‘Natasha, what did the Senate President tell you? What did he whisper to you?’ I was like should I tell him that he was speaking about bringing me in here at a special time for us to have a good time? Or, should I just kill it, wrap it up because tomorrow was a big day and I know how much my husband adores the Senate President. He loves him as a brother. My husband would do anything to support him. So I just scribbled some words to mask what was said.
Later at night when we laid in bed and he wrapped his hand around me, my husband said ‘my love, you know you can tell me anything. What did the Senate President tell you? And I was like ’don’t you believe me? I said Nothing! Moreover, it is my birthday in a few minutes, let’s just be happy.’’
My husband told me he doesn’t want to see me travel outside the country alone and that I should not go to the Senate President’s house because he has a guest house many Senators do go there after office to like get approvals and all that. I thought that was going to be the end but in February, I wanted to move a motion for the Ajaokuta Steel company, I listed that motion five times. It was the sixth time that it was approved.
Each time the motion is listed, just before he takes it, he will say ‘O Senator Natasha, we can’t take this motion because the mood of the Senate can’t accommodate it or he will speak on others, just to let it drag so that before my motion is taken, the time will be well spent.
He kept on doing that. I went to him in his office and I said ‘Senate President, you know how important the Ajaokuta Steel company is to me. You know how important it is to my people and to Nigerians. I have noticed you have stepped down this motion and that as a matter of fact, a number of Senators told me go and plead with him so he can take it. I was like why can’t you take this motion? He then said ‘Natasha, I am the Chief Presiding officer of the Senate, you can enjoy a whole lot, make me happy’’
Speaking further, Senator Natasha said at that point she told him she would pretend she didn’t hear what he said.
‘’He said well, the ball is in your court.”
On a previous incident on the floor of the Senate where Akpabio warned Natasha to behave herself since the Senate was not a ‘nightclub’, the Kogi Central Senator said it was not a slip of tongue as the Senate President allegedly once discussed having a ‘nightclub’ fun with her previously.
She asked the Senate President to come out and state his own truth as well.
Akpabio’s media consultant reacts
However, the media consultant to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Kenny Okulogbo, described the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against his principal by Senator Natasha Akpoti, as ‘’tissues of lies”.
In a chat with Punch, Okulogbo stated that the Kogi lawmaker is angry and made the allegations because she was removed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content.
“All that Senator Natasha said are all tissues of lies. She is just angry because she was removed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content. The Senate President will respond. We will make an official statement soon.”
