Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has condemned her suspension from the Nigerian Senate, calling it a deliberate move to silence her.
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, she is a victim.
She stated this in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday.
“I am being victimised. My suspension is a way to silence me,” she said.
Sharing her experience, she recounted an encounter with Akpabio at his home. “We were at his country home. He was taking me around his house. My husband was walking behind us. He held my hand.
“He then squeezed my hands in a very suggestive way. We, women, know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way.
“And he went, ‘Now that you’re in the Senate, I’ll make an opportunity for us to come here and have a good moment,’ you know, along that line.”
When asked if Akpabio had made advances towards her inside the Senate chamber, she recalled another incident. “There was a time when I rushed to work and forgot to wear my ring. There were about five senators there. He said, ‘Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring, is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her.
She was suspended from the Senate on March 6 for “gross misconduct” after a disagreement with Akpabio over seating arrangements.
Reacting to her claims, the Senate’s Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, denied that Akpabio ever made sexual advances towards Akpoti-Uduaghan.
He also dismissed her claim that the Senate was trying to silence her.
“Senator Natasha’s legislative activities show this claim is not true,” Nwaebonyi said.
However, when she made her case at a United Nations session and demanded international assistance to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable, she intensified her conflict with Akpabio.
