The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has said that he was traumatised by the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Akpabio spoke on Saturday in Abuja during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day.
According to him, he was one of the victims of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment false accusations.
He insisted that the female senator representing Kogi central only accused him of sexual harassment when he changed her seat and changed the committee she chaired.
He said, “It is only yesterday that I realised that what we are talking about only happened when there was a change of seat. That is when hell was let loose, and all sorts of allegations came up, only after the change of seat and change of committee, which my senators know to happen from time to time.
“This is said to have happened on December 8, a day before my birthday, which was celebrated in the stadium in 2023. So from the 8th of December 2023, I never heard, my wife never heard, no Nigerian ever heard, even the husband never heard any issue of sexual harassment until her committee was changed and then her seat was changed.
“Have you ever wondered about the trauma caused by that same woman on the other people she has accused in the past? None has been proven so far. Do you even wonder about the trauma this caused to the 10th Senate and the image of the Senate with all these useless allegations? I have refrained myself from making a statement.
“Look at these beautiful women. They have come across me so many times. Have I ever harassed any one of you? Or is the person thinking that you are not beautiful?”
Akpabio and the Senate have come under intense criticism following the six-month suspension handed out to Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Among the critics are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi who alleged victimisation of the female lawmaker.
Similarly, opposition parties in the country have also expressed outrage over the punitive measures taken against the lawmaker.
