In a dramatic escalation of an ongoing face-off, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has launched a fresh attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio, just four days after the Senate’s Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions was tasked with probing her alleged “disorderly conduct” on the floor of the hallowed chamber.
The senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, appeared on Arise TV’s ‘Morning Show’ in Abuja on Friday where she alleged rejection of sexual advances from Akpabio as the real issue between them.
During the interview, which was monitored by Persecondnews, she alleged that the Senate President made unwanted sexual advances towards her.
The lawmaker claimed that she received intimate calls from Akpabio in the dead of night, which she countered by involving her husband and putting the conversations on speaker.
According to her allegations, Akpabio’s unwanted advances and her refusal to reciprocate have led to the hostility and antagonism she faces.
Persecondnews had reported that tensions flared in the Senate on Thursday, February 20, after Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan refused to give up her seat to opposition members who had defected to the majority wing.
The lawmaker was not deterred even after the Chief Whip, Sen. Tahir Monguno, defended the seating arrangement change.
Monguno referenced Senate rules, which grant the Senate President the authority to make seat adjustments.
He also cautioned that failure to comply would result in penalties, including being barred from participating in Senate debates.
In a bold show of defiance, the Kogi senator raised her voice, accusing the leadership of silencing her.
She took a direct jab at Akpabio saying: “I do not care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege.”
During the Friday interview, Natasha spoke about her encounter with Akpabio, saying: “The Senate President made a mistake by not allowing me to speak on that Order 10.
“The Senate President has the right to allocate seats, and senators should adhere, but for a senator to invoke Order 10, it means their privileges have been trampled upon, and that can be raised anywhere at any time.
“So, once a senator shouts Order 10, even if they are being dragged on the floor, they are supposed to be heard.
“Once I raised Order 10, the Senate President ought to have allowed me to speak. He could have used his discretion to move that complaint to the Ethics and Privileges Committee or overrule it, but he failed to do that.
” Instead, he ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove me from the chambers and prepare for my suspension.
“I did mention that in the Senate, I have been dehumanized, maligned, and all that, and I believe that this situation was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“Many people do not know what I am about to say, and I am going to speak my truth while the Senate President is allowed to counter it.”
Speaking further, she recounted: “It all started on December 8, 2023, a day before my birthday and his. We were all in Akwa Ibom, and he held my hand, saying he wanted to show me around his house. My husband was walking behind us.
“I noticed that he hastened his pace while still holding my hand, and then he got to a particular sitting room and said, ‘Do you like my house?’ I said, ‘Of course, sir, every room is beautiful.’ He then said, ‘Now that you are a senator, I am going to create time for us to come and spend quality moments here, you will enjoy it.’
“When I turned to look at my husband to see if he had heard that or not, the Senate President also turned and said, ‘Let me show you my chapel as well.’
“That evening, we left his house at about 11 PM, and my husband asked what the Senate President told me. I wondered whether I should tell him what the Senate President said about bringing me there to ‘have a good time’ or if I should just let it go because I knew how much my husband adored him.
“In February, I wanted to move a motion for the investigation of anti-corruption practices at Ajaokuta Steel Company. I listed that motion five times, but it was only on the sixth attempt that it was approved. Many senators can testify to that. Each time the motion was listed, he would say, ‘Senator Natasha, we can not take this motion because the good of the Senate does not accommodate it.’
“He kept doing that, so I went to his office and said, ‘You know how important the Ajaokuta Steel Company is to me and my people. I have noticed that you have repeatedly stepped down this motion.’ He replied, ‘Natasha, I am the Chief Presiding Officer of the Senate. You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.’’
The lawmaker also stated: “At that point, I said I would pretend I did not hear that. He then said, ‘The ball is in your court.’ When I got home, I told my husband to speak to the Senate President to allow my motion to go through.
“You know when a student keeps failing because they refuse to sleep with a lecturer? That is exactly what I have been facing, in simple terms.
“Regarding the nightclub incident, I believe that was not a slip of the tongue. He had told me that there are a number of ways we can have fun if we travel.”
In a swift reaction, Kenny Okulogbo, media consultant to the Senate President, described the allegations as “tissues of lies” in an interview with journalists on Friday.
Okulogbo said the Kogi lawmaker is angry because she was removed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content.
He said: “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.”
Meanwhile, the embattled senator on Friday, February 25, filed a N100.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Akpabio at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan claims that Akpabio tarnished her image with a defamatory Facebook post.
The post in question, titled “Is Local Content Committee of the Senate NATASHA’s BIRTHRIGHT?”, was published by Akpabio’s aide.
She claimed that the social media post misquoted her, suggesting she believed being a lawmaker meant wearing heavy makeup and transparent clothing to the Senate Chambers.
The suit marked CV/737/25 lists Akpabio and Mr. Mfon Patrick, Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President as defendants.
Furthermore, the lawmaker asked the court to order the defendants to pay her N100 billion in general damages, in addition to N300 million to cover the costs of litigation.
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