Former Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has stirred controversy with her comments on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Speaking in an interview monitored by Radio Now’s news desk, Ita-Giwa dismissed the claim, suggesting that senators cannot be sexually harassed and describing the allegation as a “sign of weakness.”
“On this matter, I am not with Abbott. Number one, it is the worst sign of weakness on the woman’s part, you understand, for you to come out and accuse a man or accuse a man of making passes at you. At that level, there are 109 senators. It is not easy to win election to the Senate. Now, the Senate president is first amongst equals. We have arrived there as somebody, I had seven local governments with me, so I went there with strength, and by God, you know, I won this election. So I saw everybody there as equals, and then we sit down and decide who is going to lead, because in every group, there has to be a leader, which is what the Senate president is.”
According to the former lawmaker, once a woman becomes a senator, she transcends the realm where she can be sexually harassed.
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“The time you contest the election and get to senate, you understand, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. Now, it cannot happen in the senate. He’s saying that the lady is lying. When you get to senate, you are there as a person. You are not there as a man or woman. You are there as a person. And then, I don’t think at this stage of… I respect that girl. I like her. She’s very intelligent. Very, very well-spoken”.
The dispute originated from a disagreement over seat re-arrangement in the Senate, with Akpoti-Uduaghan alleging that her new placement was intended to silence her. On February 28, the Kogi Central Senator accused Akpabio of making sexual advances towards her in his office and residence in Akwa Ibom State. The Senate has since referred her case to the committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions for disciplinary review.
While Akpabio has yet to respond, his wife, Ekaette Akpabio, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Akpoti-Uduaghan. The allegations have drawn widespread attention, with prominent political figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, calling for a thorough investigation.
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