*Says Female Lawmakers Should See Themselves As Equals, Not Victims
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Former Presidential Adviser and ex-lawmaker for Cross-River South Senatorial District, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim that Senate President Godswill Akpabio sexually harassed her. Ita-Giwa argued that women who attain senatorial positions cannot be victims of sexual harassment, calling such claims a sign of weakness.
Akpoti-Uduaghan recently alleged on a live television program that Akpabio frustrated her efforts to raise motions about Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she refused his sexual advances. However, speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Ita-Giwa stated that such accusations have no place at the senatorial level.
“By the time you contest elections and get to the Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed,” Ita-Giwa said. “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) cannot happen in the Senate.”
She further insisted that female lawmakers should not claim sexual harassment, emphasizing that senators, regardless of gender, should see themselves as equals.
“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,” she said.
When asked whether female lawmakers should remain silent if harassed by colleagues, Ita-Giwa doubled down on her stance, stating that making such allegations at that level reflects weakness.
“On this matter, I am not with Senator Akpoti. It is the worst sign of weakness on a woman’s part to come out and accuse a man of making passes at you at that level,” she asserted.
She reiterated that winning a senatorial election is a major achievement, and female senators should not frame themselves as victims.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s dispute with Akpabio intensified last week when she discovered that her Senate seat had been changed, leading to a brief disruption during plenary.
During her Arise TV appearance, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her issues with Akpabio started in December 2023 when she and her husband attended his birthday celebration at his residence. According to her, Akpabio made inappropriate advances while showing her around, prompting her husband to caution her against being alone with him.
While Akpabio has yet to respond directly to the allegation, his wife, Ekaette Akpabio, has denounced Akpoti-Uduaghan and has filed a defamation lawsuit against her.
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