The Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, has strongly refuted the sexual harassment allegations made against Senate President Godswill Akpabio by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Nwebonyi characterizes the claims as politically motivated tactics aimed at diverting attention from disciplinary proceedings against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a statement released on Sunday, Nwebonyi contended that the allegations lack substantiation and have conveniently surfaced at a time designed to deflect scrutiny from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s own impending disciplinary actions.
He criticized former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki for drawing comparisons between his case and the current situation involving Akpabio, noting that the contexts are vastly different. “Saraki’s case was related to official Senate duties concerning the importation of a vehicle—an issue promptly addressed by the Senate Ethics Committee,” he explained.
Nwebonyi emphasized that the allegations against Akpabio are personal, unverified, and only surfaced when the accuser was facing disciplinary measures. He further accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of having a pattern of making “reckless and false allegations” against notable figures, citing examples of similar past claims that lacked evidence.
“If she truly felt victimized by an incident of alleged sexual harassment, the appropriate venue to address this concern would have been the Senate, not a media interview. The Senate operates on principles of reason and law, not sensationalism,” he stated.
Nwebonyi highlighted that Akpoti-Uduaghan was appointed as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content in November 2023, prior to the alleged incident, raising questions about her claims. “If she had genuinely experienced victimization, why would she have been assigned such an essential leadership position?” he questioned.
He urged the Senate not to be swayed by unfounded allegations, calling on Akpoti-Uduaghan to pursue her claims through legal avenues rather than using the Senate as a platform for “diversionary theatrics.”
“The appropriate course of action is evident: she should first respond to the Senate Ethics Committee regarding her misconduct. If she believes her claims of sexual harassment hold merit, they should be taken to the relevant legal authorities, not used as a shield against accountability,” he asserted.
Nwebonyi warned that accepting such claims without evidence could establish a perilous precedent, enabling individuals to disrupt Senate proceedings through baseless accusations. “The Senate and Nigerians should not fall for this diversion. We must maintain order and resist being manipulated into legitimizing what is evidently an opportunistic untruth,” he concluded.
