The Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, has dismissed the sexual harassment allegation Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan levied against the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
The senator representing Kogi Central had recently accused the Senate President of sexually harassing her when she and other senators visited his house to celebrate his birthday in December 2023.
While appearing on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Friday, February 28, 2025, Senator Natasha recounted how Akpabio allegedly requested an intimate relationship while showing her the interior of his Ikot-Ekpene residence.
She said the Senate President made the same request again when she went to his office to ask him why her move to raise a motion about Ajaokuta Steel Company was not being considered.
However, the Deputy Chief Whip has rejected Senator Natasha’s claim, saying the Senate President did not move close to her on his birthday.
Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, March 3, 2025, Senator Nwaebonyi said he was among the lawmakers who attended Akpabio’s birthday ceremony, saying the Senate President did not sexually harass Senator Natasha that day.
“On the issue of sexual harassment as alleged by Natasha, as God would have it, I am an eyewitness, and as I posted on social media, I narrated what transpired. On that fateful day of December 8, 2023, I was among the Senators that attended the birthday ceremony of the Senate President.
“Right from Senator Attah Airport, I drove in the same vehicle with the Senator and her husband. In fact, I was in the front seat while the senator and her husband were in the back seat. We attended a series of programmes with the Senate President within Uyo town. At the end of the day, we moved to Ikot-Ekpene, the hometown of the Senate President.
“I remember very well, as we were coming down from the vehicle, she was complaining about her shoes paining her, and she and her husband (had) to stay back while I rushed inside to join other senators to inspect the building of the Senate President,” the lawmaker said.
Nwaebonyi maintained that Senator Natasha did not join her colleagues when Akpabio was taking them around the house, adding that the Senate President did not touch Natasha, let alone ask her to come and have a good time at his residence.
“I must tell you for free, and that’s the truth, that Senator Natasha never joined us inspecting the building of the Senate President. She was seated at the parlour with her husband. The Senate President took us around, took us to the chapel, and called those who were Catholic Senators to join him in a Holy Mass.
We celebrated the Holy Mass and, at the end of the day, ended up in the garden as he hosted us. There was never a time when the Senate President touched Senator Natasha.
“There was never a time the Senate President told Senator Natasha do you like my house? We will come back to have a good time. That never happened, Senator Natasha knows that very well,” Nwaebonyi said.
He claimed that Senator Natasha came up with the sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio because the Senate President moved her to another seat.
“It is disheartening and unbelievable for a Senator of the Federal republic to, out of mere provocation — simply because you were given a new seat and probably your committee was changed — get up to lay a false allegation against a man that is old enough to be your father,” the Senator alleged.
When asked what step the Senate is taking on the matter, Nwaebonyi said, “The Senate can’t act on hearsay. Senator Natasha has never presented any issue before us.”
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