Former Senator Ayodele Arise has weighed in on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, stating that attractive women frequently encounter sexual advances worldwide.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Saturday, Arise suggested that the matter should have been handled differently by both parties rather than turning it into a national issue amid the country’s pressing challenges.
“Every woman that is good-looking radically is subjected to such gestures (sexual). Even people take other people’s wives, not even Nigeria. Would that be an issue for the TV for a senator? Of course, it wouldn’t have been right if it had happened. Even compliments like ‘you are beautiful’ and ‘you are gorgeous’ could be termed as sexual harassment. So, we need to know where it starts and where the limit is. The one that the law recognizes and can be easily proven is if you rape a woman; there are ways this could be detected, and the law would take its course,” he said.
Arise questioned whether Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would have raised such an issue if she were Nigeria’s president, arguing that, as a senator, she should have simply refused any unwanted advances.
“If she were the president of Nigeria, would she accuse anybody of sexual harassment? She is a senator, and what happens to saying ‘no’ when such issues arise? She could have removed her hand when she said the senate president held her hand and let him know that this was a no-go area.
“When Senator Akpabio calls a male senator to see him in a hotel, would he read any meaning to it? On the floor, you are equal. If she doesn’t want to come to the hotel, she can decline the offer. There are so many things that can be discussed in the senate rather than this. This does not deserve the attention that people are giving it,” Arise stated.
Addressing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, Arise criticized the six-month sanction, describing it as excessive and legally questionable.
“When you suspend an elected person, you deprive that particular district of the right to representation. The court, in the cases of Omo-Agege and Ndume, has said those six months are too long. And it is not legal. They implied that only two weeks should be appropriate for an erring senator. There should be punishment for breach of senate rules; the idea is to put somebody in order for no more than 30 days,” he argued.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had submitted a petition on the Senate floor on Tuesday, accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment. However, Akpabio denied the allegations, urging Nigerians not to jump to conclusions.
“Since February 20, I have received numerous calls about this matter. I want to state that at no time did I sexually harass Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. My late single mother raised me, and I have the highest regard for women,” Akpabio said.
He also cited his past recognition as Nigeria’s most gender-friendly governor during his tenure in Akwa Ibom State (2007–2015) as proof of his commitment to women’s rights.
Despite Akpabio’s denial, the Senate suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from all legislative activities for six months, effective March 6, 2025.
The suspension followed a report by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, Senator Imasuen Neda Bernards (Edo South), which cited multiple infractions against Senate rules.
