By Omowumi Omotosho
Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of victimization and denying her legislative privileges after she refused his alleged inappropriate advances.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, Akpoti revealed that Akpabio has deliberately obstructed her legislative efforts, including blocking her motion, due to her rejection of his alleged sexual advances.
Her claims follow a recent clash between the two over Senate seating arrangements, but Akpoti asserts that this is just one example of a broader pattern of mistreatment.
She detailed her experience, stating: “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,” she stated.
She further recounted a personal encounter with Akpabio, dating back to December 8, 2023, when they were in Akwa Ibom.
“Many people do not know what I’m about to say, and I’m going to speak my truth while the Senate President is allowed to counter it.
“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’m 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,” Akpoti futher stated.
Akpoti stated that she initially chose to remain silent about the incident but later faced political victimization when she attempted to move a motion regarding corruption at Ajaokuta Steel Company.
“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’t 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’ve noticed that you have repeatedly stepped down this motion.’ He replied, ‘Natasha, I’m the Chief Presiding Officer of the Senate. You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.’
“At that point, I said I would pretend I didn’t 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,” she said
Akpoti likened her experience to that of students who face academic setbacks for rejecting inappropriate demands from lecturers.
“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,” she declared.
She also addressed a previous nightclub controversy, asserting that Akpabio had made suggestive comments about “having fun” on trips.
“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,” Akpoti alleges.
