Akpabio Denies Sexual Harassment Allegations

The President of Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

For the first time, Senator Akpabio publicly reacted to the allegations on Wednesday at the resumption of plenary in the Senate, after one week recession, dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said he never harass any woman.

“At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria”, he said.

The President of the Senate, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse, urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from drawing conclusions and instead await the decision of the court decision on the matter.

However, immediately after his remarks, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised a petition under Order 40, accusing the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office.

She requested for permission to step forward and formally lay the petition before the chamber. The Senate subsequently referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, directing it to review the matter as soon as practicable.

Zaccheus Babalola