Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s spouse, Ekaette, has responded to the allegation made by Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in opposition to her husband.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan, throughout an interview with Come up Tv on Friday, accused Mr Akpabio of sexual harassment.
The senator, a member of the opposition PDP, recounted an incident on 8 December 2023 when she and her husband visited Mr Akpabio’s residence in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State.
She alleged that in the course of the go to, the Senate President held her hand, led her round his home, and made inappropriate advances in the direction of her, even in her husband’s presence.
Nonetheless, Mrs Akpabio defended her husband in an interview with journalists on Friday, which was uploaded on Advocate Broadcasting Community (ADBN) TV’s YouTube web page.
She dismissed Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations as baseless, noting that she was current on the occasion.
Mrs Akpabio stated: “My husband and Natasha Akpoti’s husband had been excellent pals. I don’t perceive the place that is coming from. There will need to have been a dialogue at residence for somebody to return out and make such allegations. There will need to have been approval—Go forward and say it. If that approval got here from her husband, our pal, he would have spoken to me as a result of we’re shut.
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“He (Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband) is near my husband, and if he didn’t approve of her (Akpoti-Uduaghan) to go on air and make such allegations, then the query is: does he have management? The session (the stated occasion on 8 December 2023) occurred in his presence, and he may have heard it. Even physique language may have indicated that one thing was incorrect. Safety personnel are at all times with the Senate President. That evening, I do know I attended to company. Folks had been at residence, and the home was by no means empty at any time when my husband was round.”
Disciplined man
Moreover, the Senate President’s spouse described her husband as a disciplined and respectful particular person.
She famous that his constituents and others had been at all times round him at any time when her husband was residence, whether or not within the village or the state capital.
She added that she would sue Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan on behalf of her husband (the senate president).
“There’s no manner a person as disciplined as my husband would even contemplate bringing one other girl into his residence. He respects me, our kids, and our household values. He has additionally supported many ladies advocating for inclusion in authorities, and nobody has ever made such an allegation.
ALSO READ: I slapped Akpabio for sexually harassing me, ex-NDDC chief says
“The Senate President is a extremely accountable and disciplined man. He at all times tells me, ‘For those who can’t stand the warmth, depart the kitchen.’ I’m right here to serve my folks, who proceed to strain me. I advised him, ‘That is turning into an excessive amount of. Why can’t you do one thing?’ I’m now the one pursuing authorized motion (in opposition to Akpoti-Uduaghan),” Mrs Akpabio stated.
Background
This newspaper gathered that tensions between Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan and Mr Akpabio have been ongoing, with the most recent disagreement arising over her seating association within the Senate chamber.
Following the incident, Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a defamation lawsuit in opposition to Mr Akpabio and his senior legislative aide, Mfon Patrick, demanding N100 billion in damages and N300 million to cowl authorized bills.
The case stemmed from a Fb submit allegedly authored by Mr Patrick after a heated alternate between the Senate President and Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan final Thursday relating to her reassigned seat.
Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan additionally accused Senate management of harassment and intimidation, claiming she had been stripped of sure privileges and excluded from worldwide engagements for which she was beforehand nominated.
She argued that these actions had been deliberate makes an attempt to silence her throughout the legislative physique.
In the meantime, on Tuesday, the Senate referred the matter to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for investigation.
The committee, led by Senator Neda Emasuen of Edo South, was given a two-week deadline to current its findings and suggestions.
Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan didn’t attend Tuesday’s plenary session.
To this point, the Senate President’s workplace has not issued an official response to those newest allegations.
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