Nunieh Alleges Akpabio Harassment, Slapped Him in Defense

On July 13, 2020, Joy Nunieh, the former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), accused Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her, claiming that she slapped him in response to the incident. Nunieh made the allegations during an interview on Arise TV, stating that the harassment occurred at Akpabio’s guest house in Abuja. At the time, Akpabio was the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, a position from which he denied the allegations through a statement from his media aide.

Nunieh’s bold reaction to Akpabio’s alleged advances was a point of pride for her, as she described it as an assertion of her intolerance for “nonsense,” particularly as a woman from Rivers State. Akpabio, however, strongly denied the accusations, calling them baseless.

This allegation came in the midst of growing tension between Nunieh and Akpabio, largely driven by their roles in the investigation of the alleged mismanagement of N40 billion by the NDDC’s interim management committee. Akpabio had testified before a senate ad hoc panel that he had no knowledge of the expenditures made by the NDDC under Nunieh’s leadership, claiming she failed to provide him with the necessary briefings.

Nunieh, on the other hand, accused Akpabio of orchestrating her removal for not complying with his “illegal orders.” She alleged that Akpabio had directed her to change the dollars in the NDDC account, dismiss the head of the legal team, who was from the north, and remove any directors who refused to obey his commands. Additionally, Nunieh claimed Akpabio sought to implicate Peter Nwaoboshi, the chairman of the senate committee on NDDC.

Fast forward to Friday, February 28, 2025, when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central joined the growing list of women accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment. Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her ongoing struggles in the Senate began after she rejected Akpabio’s sexual advances. This revelation came amid a heated exchange between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan over a dispute regarding seating arrangements in the Senate, further intensifying the tension surrounding the former minister’s conduct.

These allegations against Akpabio, both from Nunieh and Akpoti-Uduaghan, have added a new layer to the controversy that has long surrounded his tenure as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.