Senator Ireti Kingibe: Akpoti-Uduaghan Told Me Akpabio Asked to Meet Her in a Hotel

Senator Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party has responded to the allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, claiming that Senate President Godswill Akpabio sexually harassed her and interfered with her Senate seat arrangements.

In an interview with Arise TV on Friday, Senator Kingibe stated that while she was unaware of the alleged harassment, she did not rule out the possibility. She also revealed a conversation in which Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan confided in her that Akpabio had asked her to meet him at a hotel, a statement that Kingibe claims was made by Akpoti-Uduaghan in a previous discussion.

Kingibe clarified that neither she nor other female colleagues had experienced any harassment from Akpabio, but she emphasized that if Akpoti-Uduaghan could substantiate her claims, they would stand in support of her. “We have not been sexually harassed. That’s not to say that if Senator Natasha can prove that she has been, that is fine. We will support her. But she has never discussed it with us. We don’t know about it,” Kingibe explained.

She further elaborated, saying that on one occasion, she had gone to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s house to deliver documents, during which the Kogi senator mentioned that Akpabio had instructed her to meet him at a hotel to discuss something.

Regarding the controversy over Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat change in the Senate, Kingibe downplayed the situation, pointing out that seat arrangements were often changed for various reasons and that her own seat had been altered multiple times. Kingibe also noted that the rules of the Senate applied equally to all members, regardless of gender. She suggested that the outburst over the seating arrangement was unwarranted, especially since other male senators had also been moved, a fact that Akpoti-Uduaghan had not acknowledged.

“We did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her. We were hoping all of this would blow over, as a lot of things do. Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules,” Kingibe added.

Earlier that same day, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment and alleged that he had blocked her efforts to move a motion in the Senate. While Akpabio has yet to respond to the allegations, his wife, Ekaette Akpabio, dismissed the claims, calling them false and a figment of imagination.

The ongoing dispute has brought attention to the internal dynamics of the Nigerian Senate, with women legislators now caught in the middle of a public controversy involving powerful figures in the legislative body.