Nigerian Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi central in Nigeria.
For the first time, Senator Akpabio reacted to the allegations at the resumption of the plenary in the Senate after one week recess.
Dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said at no time had he ever harassed any woman.
He says, “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”.
The Senate President, said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25, and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse.
He urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from drawing conclusions and await the court’s decision on the matter.
However, immediately after his remarks, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan raised a petition under Order 40 of the Senate standing rules accusing the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office.
She requested his permission to step forward and formally lay the petition before the chamber, which Senator Akpabio accepted.
The Senate President referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, directing it to consider the petition and report back as soon as practicable.
Confidence Okwuchi
Comments are closed.