Kingibe distances self from Natasha Akpoti’s sexual harassment claim

Ireti Kingibe, the lawmaker representing the Federal Capital Territory, has distanced herself from allegations of sexual harassment made by Senator Natasha Akpoti against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Kingibe stated that she does not have the kind of personal relationship with Akpabio that would allow her to discuss such matters.

Earlier, during an appearance on The Morning Show on AriseTV, Natasha alleged that Kingibe had called her husband, urging him to persuade her to withdraw the over N100bn defamation lawsuit filed against Akpabio and his aide.

The Kogi lawmaker also claimed that the Senate seating arrangement was part of a ploy to frustrate her legislative duties. She further alleged that her husband confronted Kingibe, accusing her of previously telling Natasha Akpoti that the Senate President had been making advances toward her.

Speaking during an interview on AriseTV, Kingibe, who serves as the Senate Chairperson for Women Affairs, clarified that she was not present in the Senate when the seating arrangement controversy occurred.

She also addressed the silence of the three other female senators on the issue, explaining that they refrained from making public comments to avoid publicly going against Natasha.

Read also: Sexual allegation: Akpabio’s wife accuses Natasha Akpoti of maligning her husband for personal gain

“Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. As women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her, and we were hoping all of this would blow over, as a lot of things do,” Kingibe said.

“The Senate is not a place where we should be fighting over trivialities like seating arrangements.”

Kingibe stated that Natasha was not the only lawmaker whose seat was moved, noting that other lawmakers were also affected by the reassignment.

“And then, the day in question, I was not in the Senate. I was in NNPC Hospital. When I came out of the hospital, my driver said to me, ‘Madam, there’s wahala in the Senate.’ I said, ‘What about?’ He didn’t tell me, he just said Senator Natasha,” Kingibe recounted.

She explained that upon hearing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s name, she immediately reached out to her for clarification.

“As soon as I heard her name, as I always do with everything that concerns her, I promptly called her. I said, ‘Natasha, what’s going on?’ She started to try to explain about seating… but before she could finish, she said, ‘I’ll call you back, I’ll call you back.’ Till today, Senator Natasha has not called me back.”

Kingibe further noted that after failing to reach Akpoti-Uduaghan directly, she attempted to contact her husband.

“Before I called Senator Natasha’s husband, I had called Senator Natasha twice without a response. Then I called him to say, ‘I’ve called her twice, she’s not answering me.’ He said, ‘Oh, she went to Singapore, maybe that’s why.’ Then I said to him, ‘This is not the way it should be handled.’”

Addressing the sexual harassment allegations, Kingibe emphasised that she was not in a position to confirm such claims.

“The three of us (other female senators) had no relationship with Senator Akpabio before we came [to the Senate],” she stated.

When asked directly about the alleged incident, she responded, “If you just want a yes or no, I’ll tell you no. I did not.”

Kingibe also spoke about gender dynamics in the Senate, acknowledging that while the chamber is not entirely gender-friendly, it has improved over time.

“The truth of the matter is, yes, the Senate is not gender-friendly. But it has been improving, much better than when we first entered the Senate, I must say. And the truth of the matter is, when we make a fuss and we draw the attention of the Senate President, he does correct it.”

She added, “The Senate leadership may not be gender-friendly, but I must say the majority of the senators are very kind and supportive of us.”

Kingibe concluded by advising women in the Senate to abide by the institution’s rules.

“I want women to know we have to follow the rules of the institution we choose to enter, and that is mostly the point of this visit here.”