Meanwhile, Sen Ireti recalled a conversation in which Natasha mentioned that Akpabio had asked to meet her at a hotel.
The wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, has strongly refuted the sexual harassment allegations leveled against her husband, Senator Godswill Akpabio, by Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the allegations surfaced, Mrs. Akpabio described them as baseless and a product of wild imagination. She recalled the longstanding cordial relationship between both families, emphasizing that their ties predate Senator Natasha’s marriage.
Mrs. Akpabio further stated that she was present at their family residence on December 8, 2023, the alleged date of the incident, insisting that no such inappropriate encounter took place. She also praised her husband’s track record of championing women’s inclusion in governance, asserting that his values contradict the claims made against him.
Condemning what she described as an attempt to tarnish her husband’s reputation, she urged women to refrain from making false accusations and vowed to seek legal redress.
READ ALSO: Natasha accuses Akpabio of sexual harassment
Calls for investigation and reactions from key figures
Parliament Reports recalls that Sen. Natasha yesterday alleged during an interview on The Morning Show on Arise TV that Akpabio made repeated sexual advances towards her. She claimed that her rejection of these advances was the reason for the hostility she has faced in the senate.
The senator also alleged that Akpabio frequently called her at odd hours, prompting her to wake her husband and put the conversations on speaker.
In response to the controversy, former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, along with the country director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, called for a thorough investigation rather than dismissing the allegations outright.
However, Sen. Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT), one of the four female lawmakers in the 10th senate, criticised Natasha’s claims, arguing that she had received more privileges than other female senators.
While speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Kingibe stated that seat relocations were routine in the senate and that Natasha was not the only lawmaker affected.
She said, “Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. And as women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her; and we were hoping all of this will blow over, as a lot of things do.”
She dismissed Natasha’s complaints about seating arrangements as trivial, adding that “several men were also moved.”
While acknowledging that the senate is “not gender-friendly,” Kingibe noted that improvements have been made over time. She asserted that Natasha has received preferential treatment compared to other female lawmakers, stating, “The seat I sit on now has been moved four times.”
Regarding the sexual harassment allegations, Kingibe distanced herself from the matter, stating that she is not personally close enough to Akpabio to comment. However, she recalled a conversation with Natasha in which the senator mentioned that Akpabio had asked to meet her at a hotel.
“I collected some documents for senator Natasha, informed her and went to her house. She told me that she was supposed to discuss something with Akpabio but he said to meet him at a hotel,” Kingibe added.
