By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Abuja
ABUJA: A fresh controversy has erupted in the Senate as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central has formally submitted a petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alleging sexual harassment, abuse of office, and obstruction of her legislative duties.
During Tuesday’s plenary session, Natasha invoked Senate Order 40, seeking to officially lay the petition before her colleagues.
“You may recall, sir, that on Friday, on Arise TV, I made some statements. I have decided to formally submit them in the form of a petition against the President of the Senate. If it may please you, I would humbly step forward and lay this petition,” she stated.
In response, Akpabio, who presided over the session, allowed her to proceed, directing the Senate Committees on Code of Conduct, Ethics, and Public Petitions to review the matter “as soon as practicable.”
The allegations stem from an encounter in December 2023, during which Natasha claims Akpabio made inappropriate remarks while hosting her and her husband at his residence in Akwa Ibom.
Recounting the alleged incident, Natasha told Arise TV that Akpabio held her hand, led her through his home, and made suggestive comments.
“He asked me if I liked his house, and I responded positively. Then he said, ‘Now that you are a senator, I will create time for us to spend quality moments here. You will enjoy it.’ At that point, I pulled away because I didn’t understand what exactly that meant,” she said.
She further alleged that Akpabio deliberately frustrated her motion for an investigation into corruption at the Ajaokuta Steel Company, delaying its approval multiple times.
“I listed that motion five times. Each time, before he took it, he would say, ‘Oh, Senator Natasha, we can’t take this motion because the mood of the Senate does not accommodate it.’ It was only on the sixth attempt that it was approved,” she alleged.
According to her, when she confronted Akpabio about the delays, he responded, “Natasha, I am the chief presiding officer. You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.”
Reacting to the allegations, Akpabio’s media consultant, Kenny Okulogbo, dismissed them as “tissues of lies,” suggesting that Natasha was aggrieved after being removed as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content.
Meanwhile, Akpabio’s wife, Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, has also refuted the allegations, threatening legal action against Natasha.
“I was present at our residence on the alleged date, and there was nothing of such. Our families had a cordial relationship long before her marriage, and these claims are purely fictional,” she stated.
The petition is now before the Senate committee for further review.