Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio calls for an urgent, independent, and unbiased investigation.
Development Diaries reports that the senator representing Kogi Central, in a recent interview on Arise News, accused the senator president of making inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his country home in Akwa Ibom in 2023.
According to Senator Natasha, while giving her the grand tour, he allegedly held her hand, took her from room to room, and then suggested they would soon ‘create quality moments’ together in his house.
Studies have shown that women in politics often experience harassment, intimidation, and exclusion, which discourage their participation and undermine efforts to achieve gender parity in leadership.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as of 2023, women held only 7.3 percent of Nigeria’s National Assembly seats, far below the 30 percent benchmark recommended by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
If such allegations are left unaddressed, they could reinforce systemic barriers that keep women from seeking and holding political office.
The right to equal participation in governance is a fundamental democratic principle, yet female politicians frequently encounter resistance, often disguised as procedural enforcement.
The National Democratic Institute (NDI) reports that women politicians worldwide are more likely to be silenced, sidelined, or subjected to institutional bullying.
This sets a bad example for a country that already has a problem with low female participation, which could make women less likely to run for political office.
The Nigerian people deserve a Senate leadership that upholds the highest ethical standards and fosters an environment where all lawmakers, regardless of gender, can perform their duties without fear of undue pressure or harassment.
Development Diaries calls on the Nigerian Senate to open an independent, transparent, and unbiased investigation into these allegations. Senator Akpabio owes Nigerians the duty of addressing these claims transparently.
