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Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan Suspended for Six Months After Accusing Senate President Akpabio
The Nigerian Senate has suspended a female senator following her accusation of sexual harassment against its presiding officer. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been barred from office, effective Thursday, and will have her allowances and security withdrawn for six months. She made allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who has denied the claims.
On Wednesday, the Senate ethics committee dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition regarding the alleged harassment, citing procedural rule violations. Her subsequent suspension was justified based on a prior argument that erupted in the Senate over changes to her seating arrangement.
In a television interview on February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan—one of only four women in the 109-seat Senate—alleged that Akpabio made unwanted sexual advances toward her in 2023.
“This injustice will not be sustained,” she stated on Thursday after being prevented from speaking in the Senate and escorted out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms.
Akpabio has publicly denied any wrongdoing. “Since the 20th of February, I have been inundated with phone calls from various Nigerians. I would like to state that at no time did I sexually harass Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,” he said at the start of a plenary session on Wednesday.
Calls for Independent Investigation
In a tweet, former Nigerian minister Oby Ezekwesili urged the Senate to independently investigate the petition in a public hearing where the accused does not preside. She demanded the appointment of an independent investigator and a public hearing on the matter.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the north-central Kogi Central district, shared a statement on her Facebook page in response to her suspension.
“Against the culture of silence, intimidation, and victim-shaming; my unjust suspension from the Nigerian Senate invalidates the principles of natural justice, fairness, and equity,” she wrote.
“The illegal suspension does not withdraw my legitimacy as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I will continue to use my duly elected position to serve my constituents and country to the best of my ability until 2027 and beyond.”
Ethics Committee Under Scrutiny
Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele stated that Akpoti-Uduaghan should use her suspension to “learn the rules of the Senate.”
“I asked her what she will gain if she tries to pull the Senate president down,” Bamidele said during the consideration of the petition on the Senate floor.
Critics, including Chioma Agwuegbo, executive director of the women’s rights organization TechHerNG, condemned the ethics committee’s handling of the case, alleging bias.
“The ethics committee to which her petition was referred has shown that it is not fit for purpose,” Agwuegbo said.
Prominent Nigerian figures and groups have called for a transparent investigation. Many women expressed their anger over the suspension on social media, with some labeling it as “oppression.”
On Wednesday, two groups of protesters gathered at the National Assembly grounds in Abuja—one in support of Akpabio and the other for Akpoti-Uduaghan—chanting “Akpabio must go.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against the Senate president, seeking 100 billion naira ($64,000) in damages.
While rare in Nigeria’s National Assembly, this is not the first time a case involving sexual harassment or assault has emerged. Senator Dino Melaye was accused of threatening to sexually assault Senator Remi Tinubu, the country’s current first lady, but was never charged.
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