Peter Nwaebonyi, lawmaker representing Ebonyi North has said Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi central had threatened to disgrace Senate President Godswill Akpabio before the s*xual harrassment controversy.
Gatekeepers News reports that the chief whip of the senate made the allegation on Thursday during an appearance on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television.
According to Nwaebonyi, Senator Natasha’s s*xual harassment claim followed her failed attempt to regain the chairmanship of a committee lost in a recent reshuffle.
He alleged that Natasha was dissatisfied after being reassigned from chairing the senate committee on local content and moved to the diaspora committee.
He said, “Senator Natasha was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, a position she felt comfortable with.”
“However, in the Senate, from time to time, committee leaderships are changed; they are reshuffled — her committee was affected just like every other chairman.”
“She was shifted to the Senate Committee on Diaspora, which didn’t go down well with Senator Natasha.”
Nwaebonyi added that instead of recognising her duty to represent the people, Natasha prioritised her “personal interests over her constituency.”
He said, “Let me tell you — a day before she appeared on Arise TV, claiming this sexual harassment, she called a senator (Senator Sani Musa of Niger State).”
“She asked him to tell the Senate President to return her as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content. She threatened that if this was not done, she would disgrace the Senate President.”
“Senator Sani Musa then called the Senate President and said, ‘Look at the threat from this lady’.”
“The Senate President responded, ‘Well, let her do what she wants to do. I am doing my job as a presiding officer. The reshuffling of committee members is normal’.”
“Nigeria should know this. Senator Natasha is claiming sexual harassment because she lost the chairmanship of the Local Content Committee, not because she was harassed by Senator Akpabio or any other senator.”
