Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has called on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to present credible evidence supporting her allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Adeyanju made this demand on Friday, urging Akpoti-Uduaghan to substantiate her claims publicly.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Akpabio of making inappropriate advances toward her during a visit to his residence in December 2023. Following her claims, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions reviewed the matter and recommended her suspension. The Senate subsequently approved a six-month suspension as a consequence.
As part of the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan will face several penalties, including the closure of her Senate office, the withholding of her salaries and allowances, the removal of her security detail, a ban on official representation, and a restriction from entering the National Assembly premises for the duration of her suspension.
Adeyanju, in his statement, criticized the extent to which the controversy has dominated public discourse. He suggested that rather than focusing on the issue, more attention should be given to pressing legislative matters, such as the tax reform bill.
“The matter has been overflogged,” Adeyanju remarked. “I believe that parties should go to court and resolve their matters. And we should focus on Nigeria’s tax reform bill and see how we can galvanize and stop the tax reform bill from being passed—it is more important than this international issue.”
He also expressed concerns about the silence of lawmakers on other pressing national issues. Adeyanju questioned why the same senators involved in this dispute failed to challenge the government’s controversial policies.
“The question I have asked is: when all these anti-people policies of the Tinubu government were taking place, why didn’t these senators who are now fighting over the allegation of sexual harassment, the allegation of ‘oh, she’s embarrassing the Senate,’ the culture of silence, and everything, oppose the anti-people policies?” he asked.
Adeyanju further pointed out that lawmakers had remained quiet on instances of questionable financial distributions within the National Assembly. “All the time that they’ve shared cars in the National Assembly, we did not hear any fight. The time they’ve shared money and budgetary allocations, we did not hear any fight. Now, we are hearing a fight,” he said.
In addition to his broader concerns, Adeyanju insisted that Akpoti-Uduaghan must provide tangible proof of her claims. He argued that since Akpabio has denied the allegations, it is up to the accuser to present supporting evidence.
“I also sincerely feel that Senator Natasha has made these allegations that the Senate President tried to sexually harass her. I also think that Senator Natasha should, as a matter of necessity, since they have refused to give her a fair hearing in the Senate, make public credible evidence to back up the claim,” he stated.
He emphasized the need for transparency, suggesting that any existing messages or proof should be shared with the public. “It’s very easy. The man has said it is a lie—‘I did not do anything to her.’ So if there are messages—maybe ‘oh, please come over, so so so’—please reveal them, expose the man. After all, he who alleges must prove. Why are you protecting the man?” Adeyanju questioned.
