A Nigerian senator claimed she was sexually harassed by one of the country’s top politicians, telling the BBC that the Senate operates like a “cult.”
Two weeks ago, Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan filed a petition saying she was harassed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio for six months.
His office also rejected the cult comparisons – the latest twist in the strand of Nigeria’s troubled posed questions about gender equality in socially conservative countries.
Akpoti-uduaghan said she was punished for speaking out about the system and now she fears the safety of herself and her two-year-old because her safety details have been deprived.
“The Nigerian Senate operates like a cult. The Senate president runs the Senate like a dictator, not a Democrat. There is no freedom of speech, no freedom of speech, anyone who dares to oppose him will be cut to scale.”
Senator Akpoti-uduaghan was not silent and “her own legislative activities refuted the claim”, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi said in a statement to the BBC.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), claimed that sexual harassment began in 2023 when she visited Akpabio’s country house with her husband.
Akpabio said “hint on her hand” and said, “I will have a chance to have a great time here.”
Nwebonyi said he also attended the meeting during his visit, saying: “The Senate president has not had any unnecessary sexual advancement in his country house.”
But Akpoti-uduaghan claims that this is just one of many incidents, and the harassment lasted for several months.
Although Akpabio commented on other senators on the Senate premise: “Natasha, your husband really likes it, but it looks like you can do the movements with your waist.”
“The Senate President said so,” Akputi-Udoahhan told the BBC.
“He made very gender remarks and then they (the Senator) both laughed. He said we are all men in the Senate and she should be used to that.”
Nwebonyi said the allegations were “completely wrong”.
Nigeria is one of the fewest African congresswomen.
Akpoti-uduaghan is one of four female senators with 109 members in the parliament and is also the first female senator in her state.
Her petition to Akpabio was dismissed due to “procedural errors.”
Then, on March 6, the Ethics Committee awarded Akputi-Udoahan an unpaid six-month moratorium in a Senate debate with “unruly and destructive” behavior.
Akpoti-uduaghan told the BBC that she no longer gained security due to the suspension.
“In the Nigerian space, we have people killed over the past few decades for their strong perception of the government,” she said.
“If I took my kids for a walk – because I have two kids – would I be killed? Will I be attacked?”
Civil society groups in the country expressed concern about the treatment of Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling for a transparent investigation into her allegations.
“We can only say that it is a sad day for Nigerian women to fight for liberation. Of the 109 senators, only four are women, and one woman is now suspended,” women’s rights activist Hadiza Ado told the BBC as he imposed the suspension.
Although rights groups and some social media users have expressed support for Akpoti-uduaghan, she also has quite a number of critics.
After being suspended, two groups of protesters gathered near the capital’s parliament, Abuja – one supported the Senate president and another group supported his colleagues, chanting “Akpabio must go”.
She told the BBC that Akpoti-uduaghan has also been attacked on social media by misogynistic abuse since the charges were filed.
The scandal is the latest episode in a tough political career from the beginning.
Akpoti-uduaghan first ran for Kogi State Governor in 2019 and claimed that her candidacy was challenged to her mixed-race legacy.
She ended up on the ballot but was physically and verbally attacked during the campaign.
In 2023, she ran for the Senate and lost the election. Polls were damaged by violence and the election results were overturned after Akpoti-uduaghan brought the matter to court.
“I think the worst election is over,” she told the BBC.
“But for a woman, I guess that’s never really right? It’s just different parts, different chapters.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan took legal action to try to overturn her suspension and plans to petition the Senate again through her sexual harassment allegations.
Despite her emotions, she said she did not regret saying it.
She said her husband, children and supporters outside her family were encouraged, including female politicians from other African countries.
“I answered calls every day from women I’ve connected to and told me they’ve been through the same thing in the council, but they couldn’t speak out,” she said.
“They said, Natasha, do this for us. This is my story, my story is the story of many women in Nigeria who don’t have the courage to speak out.”
