VIDEO: Akpabio's troubles deepen as Natasha makes fresh revelation in new interview

Suspended senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has made fresh allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, claiming he sexually harassed her before their recent clash in the Senate.

In an interview with the BBC released on Tuesday, March 18, the Kogi Central lawmaker described her six-month suspension as a deliberate attempt to suppress her voice.

“I am being victimised. My suspension is a means of silencing me,” she asserted.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 for "gross misconduct" after failing to appear before the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee.

The decision followed a heated exchange with Akpabio during a plenary session last month.

Now, the senator is shedding light on what she says were inappropriate advances made by Akpabio both inside and outside the Senate chambers.

READ ALSO: Natasha vs Akpabio: The Nigerian Senate of misogynistic hooligans [OPINION]

She recounted one such incident at Akpabio’s country home, where she alleged that he touched her suggestively while showing her around.

“We were at his country home. He was taking me around his house. My husband was walking behind us. He held my hand. He then squeezed my hands in a very suggestive way. We women, we know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way,” she said.

The senator also recalled a separate incident inside the Senate chamber.

“There was a time when I rushed to work and forgot to wear my ring. There were about five senators there. He said, ‘Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring, is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this.”

However, Senate Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Nwaebonyi has dismissed the allegations, insisting that Akpabio never made inappropriate advances toward Akpoti-Uduaghan.

"Senator Natasha’s legislative activities show this claim is not true," Nwaebonyi told the BBC, further rejecting her assertion that the Senate was trying to silence her.

The controversy has sparked debate on the treatment of female lawmakers in Nigerian politics.

While some critics argue that the Senate lacks transparency and suppresses dissent, others insist that disciplinary measures should not be politicised.

As the fallout from these allegations continues, the Nigerian Senate faces renewed scrutiny over gender dynamics, internal governance, and lawmakers’ freedom to speak without fear of retribution.