Emmanuel Uduaghan, husband of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has publicly confirmed that he has been aware for years of his wife’s allegation that Senate President sexually harassed her. In a statement of support released on Saturday, Uduaghan declared that Natasha had confided in him about the incident long before it became a public controversy.
“I have known about this for years, and I stand firmly by my wife,” Uduaghan stated, emphasising that Natasha’s political career has repeatedly exposed her to harassment, intimidation, and targeted attacks on her integrity.
His statement came after Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan revealed on the Senate floor that Akpabio allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward her in 2018 when she visited him, then the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, to seek his support for the Steel Development Bill. According to Natasha, Akpabio invited her to his hotel room, where he made inappropriate advances that she rejected.
Immediate Trigger: A Dispute Over Senate Seating Arrangement
The controversy between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan escalated after a disagreement over seating arrangements during a Senate session on Tuesday, February 27. The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Tahir Monguno, raised a point of order after observing that Akpoti-Uduaghan was attempting to speak from a seat that was no longer assigned to her.
The seating changes had been necessitated by the defection of a senator to a different political party. While other senators reportedly complied with the new arrangement, Akpoti-Uduaghan refused to move. Monguno’s intervention was followed by Senate President Akpabio reinforcing the need for adherence to the chamber’s rules.
Some senators viewed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s refusal as a straightforward violation of Senate protocol, unrelated to personal animosity or any pre-existing conflict with Akpabio. As one senator put it:
“If we are assuming that the principal officers of the Senate must harbour a personal grudge before they would enforce the in-house rules, I wonder what grudge Senator Monguno has against Senator Akpoti.”
Escalation: Akpabio’s Remarks and Natasha’s Allegation
Following the seating dispute, Akpabio reportedly made a veiled comment implying that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s electoral victory was facilitated by ‘a woman of easy virtue.’ Although Akpabio did not name her directly, the comment was widely understood to be directed at her.
Angered by the remark, Akpoti-Uduaghan confronted Akpabio during the session, demanding an immediate retraction and apology. Akpabio, however, refused to back down, escalating the exchange.
It was after this confrontation that Akpoti-Uduaghan made public the sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio.
Akpabio Denies Allegation, Alleges Blackmail
Akpabio’s media office swiftly denied the sexual harassment allegation, dismissing it as politically motivated blackmail. The Senate President questioned why the allegation was only made public after the seating dispute and the subsequent exchange on the Senate floor.
Akpabio insists the seating matter was handled according to Senate rules, not personal animosity. He maintains that the sexual harassment claim is a smear campaign intended to damage his reputation.
Pattern of Allegations: Akpabio Previously Accused of Sexual Harassment
This is not the first time Godswill Akpabio has faced allegations of sexual harassment. In 2020, Dr. Joi Nunieh, the former acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), publicly accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her during her tenure.
Nunieh, in a televised interview, alleged that Akpabio made unwanted advances towards her and that she was forced to physically defend herself.
“I slapped him,” Nunieh said, describing her response to Akpabio’s alleged inappropriate behaviour. According to Nunieh, the incident occurred at Akpabio’s guest house, where he allegedly attempted to sexually harass her.
Akpabio denied the allegation at the time, dismissing it as a fabrication designed to undermine his authority during his tenure as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
The emergence of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s similar claim from 2018 raises renewed questions about Akpabio’s conduct toward female colleagues and associates, particularly those in subordinate or less powerful positions. The fact that both women described incidents occurring in contexts where they were seeking his professional cooperation adds a troubling dimension to the accusations.
Complicating Factors: A Pattern of Gendered Attacks
Arbiterz has previously reported on the political obstacles faced by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, particularly the targeted personal attacks that female politicians in Nigeria routinely face. During her campaigns for the Kogi Central Senate seat in both 2019 and 2023, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused security agencies of working with state authorities to intimidate her supporters.
She also alleged that political opponents repeatedly circulated false and salacious rumours about her personal life, a common tactic used to undermine female politicians in Nigeria. This latest development — combining a seating dispute, alleged slut-shaming remarks, and a sexual harassment claim — fits into a broader pattern of using gendered attacks to discredit women in politics.
Divided Reactions in the Senate
The controversy surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio has triggered mixed reactions within the Senate, with some senators rallying around Akpabio, while others criticized Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct.
One of the most notable voices criticizing Akpoti-Uduaghan is Senator Ireti Kingibe, who openly faulted her for failing to comply with the revised seating arrangement in the Senate chamber. According to Kingibe, the entire controversy could have been avoided if Akpoti-Uduaghan had simply adhered to the rules.
“What happened was very simple,” Kingibe said. “There was a reallocation of seats after a senator defected to another party, requiring other senators to shift seats. Everyone complied except Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who insisted on keeping her original seat.”
Senator Kingibe further stated that the Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, initially raised the point of order about Akpoti-Uduaghan speaking from the wrong seat, not Akpabio himself. This undermines the argument that the Senate President personally targeted her.
“Senator Monguno raised the point, not Akpabio,” Kingibe emphasized. “If we assume that every enforcement of Senate rules is driven by personal animosity, then we are heading into dangerous territory.”
Kingibe also cautioned against using serious issues such as sexual harassment as a distraction or a political tool, stating that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations should be taken seriously but addressed separately from her clear violation of Senate rules.
This internal divide in the Senate highlights the complexity of the situation — some lawmakers see Akpoti-Uduaghan as a victim of harassment and bullying, while others frame her actions as grandstanding and defiance of parliamentary procedure.
Legal and Political Fallout Expected
With Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan demanding a public apology and hinting at legal action, the controversy is unlikely to fade quietly. Civil society groups and women’s rights organisations have already called on the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate both the seating dispute and the sexual harassment allegation.
This dual-track controversy — involving procedural rules and a serious allegation of sexual misconduct — places both Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan under intense public scrutiny. It also reignites broader debates about power dynamics, gender relations, and accountability in Nigeria’s political elite.
What began as a procedural disagreement over seating has now spiralled into a full-blown public scandal involving claims of misogyny, sexual harassment, and abuse of power. With Emmanuel Uduaghan’s public confirmation of his wife’s story and Akpabio’s prior history of similar allegations, the conflict is set to dominate Nigeria’s political discourse for weeks to come.
