By Olaitan Ibrahim
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the suspended senator representing Kogi Central on Tuesday cited two instances of alleged sexual advances towards her by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Natasha who was suspended on March 6 for six months following her face off with the Senate President over seating arrangements in the red chamber revealed the alleged sexual advances by Akpabio in an an interview with the BBC on Tuesday.
The Kogi Central Senator said her problems in the Senate began when she refused to yield to sexual advances of the Senate President.
Though Akpabio and other Senators had denied this, she has submitted a petition on the issue to the Senate.
However, in her interview with the BBC, Natasha revealed two alleged instances of sexually suggestive gestures towards her by the Senate President.
She said the sexually suggestive gestures was an ‘episode after episode, moment after moment” from Akpabio.
Citing one of such alleged moments, Natasha said: “We were at his country home. He was taking me around his house. My husband was walking behind us. He held my hand.
“He then squeezed my hands in a very suggestive way. We women, we know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way.
“And he went, ‘now that you’re in the Senate, I’ll make an opportunity for us to come here and have a good moment’, you know, along that line.”
She also revealed another of such alleged advances in the Senate following prompting by her interviewer: “There was a time when I rushed to work forgetting to wear my ring, there were about five senators there. He said, ‘Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring. Is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this.”
On her suspension, Natasha accused the Nigerian Senate of operating like a cult. She added that he suspension was intended to silence her.
“I am being victimised. My suspension is a means of silencing me,” she said.
However, Senate’s Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi denied the claims by the Senator that Akpabio made sexual advances or inappropriate comments toward Akpoti-Uduaghan.
He also said there was not attempt to silence the the Kogi Central Senator: According to him, the claim of Senator Natasha cannot be true if her legislative activities are considered.