A former federal lawmaker for Cross-River South Senatorial District, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim of sexual harassment.
Ita-Giwa, while speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, said women cannot be harassed once they become senators. She argued that it is a sign of weakness for female lawmakers to make such claims.
Grassroots Parrot had reported how Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio frustrated her motions on Ajaokuta Steel Company because she refused his sexual advances.
Reacting, Ita-Giwa, however, said, “By the time you contest elections and get to Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place.
“And again, it shows weakness; you don’t allow it. It (sexual harassment) can not happen in the Senate.
“I am not saying the lady is lying, but when you get to the Senate, you’re there as a person. You’re not there as a woman.”
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Asked if female lawmakers should remain silent about harassment from colleagues, Ita-Giwa, who is a former presidential adviser, insisted that making such allegations at that level reflects weakness.
“At that stage in politics, if you come out and say someone is sexually harassing you, it is a weakness,” Ita-Giwa said.
She added, “I’m saying that it does not; it would not happen in the Senate, and it should not happen in the Senate and again, I’m not here to defend anybody in politics.”
She maintained that female senators should see themselves as equals to their male counterparts, emphasising that winning a senatorial election is no small feat.
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Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conflict with Akpabio began last week when she discovered her Senate seat had been changed, leading to a brief disruption during plenary.
During her Arise TV appearance, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed the issue started in December 2023 when she and her husband visited Akpabio’s home for his birthday.
She alleged that Akpabio made inappropriate advances while showing her around, prompting her husband to warn her against being alone with him.
While Akpabio has yet to respond to the allegation, his wife, Ekaette, has denounced Akpoti-Uduaghan and filed a defamation lawsuit against her.