Natasha’s Allegations Against Akpabio Reckless, False – Deputy Whip

The Senate’s Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, has dismissed allegations of victimisation and sexual harassment against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio as “reckless and false.”

Nwebonyi, in a statement on Sunday, said, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan who made the allegations against Akpabio, has a history of making such allegations against “prominent individuals.”

He cited a former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello; a former Kogi senator, Dino Melaye; and media influencer, Reno Omokri as three individuals who were similarly accused by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan at different points in the past.

Nwebonyi said Natasha’s accusations typically follow a pattern of “wild claims, media noise, and no evidence.”

“If she truly believed she was being victimised because of an alleged sexual harassment incident, the proper forum to raise such a grievance would have been the Senate itself, not a television interview. The Senate is moved by reason and laws, not sentiments and drama,” he said.

According to him, Natasha’s allegations were “politically motivated and an attempt to evade disciplinary action.”

Nwebonyi argued that the claims were unsubstantiated and conveniently timed to deflect attention from an ongoing disciplinary process against Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The Ebonyi State senator knocked former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, for calling for investigation into the allegations.

Nwebonyi faulted attempts by Saraki to draw a parallel between allegations of bullet proof car purchase against him while he was in office and the current allegations against Akpabio. According to him, the two situations are different.

“Saraki’s case was about official duties as Senate President—an accusation concerning the importation of an official vehicle. It was a procedural issue that was swiftly resolved through the Senate Ethics Committee.

“In contrast, the allegations against Akpabio are personal, unverified, and only emerged when the accuser faced disciplinary action,” Nwebonyi stated.

The Deputy Chief Whip further argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan was appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content in November 2023, before her alleged sexual harassment incident in Ikot Ekpene by Akpabio.

“If she had truly been a victim, why would the Senate leadership, under the same Akpabio, assign her such a critical leadership role?” he queried.

Nwebonyi insisted that the Senate must not allow itself to be manipulated by “baseless allegations.” He urged Akpoti-Uduaghan to pursue her claims through the appropriate legal channels rather than using the Senate as a “stage for diversionary theatrics.”

“The correct course of action is clear: she should first answer to the Senate Ethics Committee for her misconduct. If she believes she has a valid sexual harassment claim, she should file a case in the appropriate legal forum, not use the Senate and the media as a shield against accountability,” he maintained.

He warned that legitimising Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims without evidence could set a dangerous precedent, where anybody could make false accusations to disrupt Senate proceedings.

“The Senate and Nigerians should not fall for this diversionary tactic. The Senate must stay focused, maintain order, and refuse to be blackmailed into legitimising what is clearly an opportunistic falsehood,” the Ebonyi senator said.

Natasha’s Allegations Against Akpabio Reckless, False – Deputy Whip is first published on The Whistler Newspaper