Former Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has dismissed allegations of sexual harassment made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In an interview with Arise TV, Sen. Ita-Giwa, argued that female lawmakers should not encounter such issues in the Senate, suggesting that claims of harassment indicate a weakness in those who make them.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously accused Sen. Akpabio of undermining her motions related to the Ajaokuta Steel Company, after she rebuffed his alleged sexual advances.
In response to these allegations, Sen. Ita-Giwa countered that once women reach the Senate, they should have moved past experiences of harassment, and should see themselves as equals in their roles.
She said “by the time you contest elections, and get to the Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place. And again, it shows weakness; you don’t allow it. It (sexual harassment) cannot happen in the Senate.
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“I am not saying the lady is lying, but when you get to the Senate, you’re there as a person. You’re not there as a woman. At that stage in politics, if you come out and say someone is sexually harassing you, it is a weakness.”
Sen. Ita-Giwa emphasized that speaking out about harassment at such a leadership level, could also be perceived as vulnerability.
The conflict between Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan, and Sen. Akpabio intensified recently, when Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan discovered her Senate seat had been reassigned, leading to a disruption during plenary.
She claimed the issues began in December 2023, when she attended Sen. Akpabio’s birthday party, during which she alleged he made inappropriate advances.
While Sen. Akpabio has not yet responded to these accusations, his wife, Ekaette Akpabio, has publicly denied Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, and had initiated legal action against her for defamation.
