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

Unoma Akpabio, wife of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of fabricating allegations to tarnish her husband’s reputation.

Reacting to claims made by the Kogi Central senator during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, Mrs. Akpabio dismissed the accusations as false and self-serving. She described her husband as a disciplined and jovial person whose actions are often misinterpreted.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged that her challenges in the Senate began after she rejected sexual advances from Akpabio.

“Mine is the case of a student being punished by a lecturer for refusing to sleep with him,” she said.

Recounting an encounter at the Senate President’s residence, she claimed, “We were at Ikot Ekpene for his birthday, then moved to his house in Uyo at about 8 p.m. He held my hand and said he wanted to show me around. My husband was walking behind us, just the three of us.

“My husband was already near me, and the way he looked at me and looked at him, I was beginning to wonder, did he hear part of that inciting statement or not? And then the Senate President, too, I saw that he also had that thought, like, did my husband hear the invitation to treat or not?”

Read also: Akpabio punishing me for rejecting his sexual advances – Natasha Akpoti alleges

Akpoti-Uduaghan further claimed that Akpabio’s behavior influenced Senate proceedings, particularly regarding motions she attempted to move on the floor.

“In February, I wanted to move a motion. It was the sixth time it was listed on the order paper and approved. Many senators can testify. Each time it was listed, just before he takes it, he will say, ‘Oh, Senator Natasha, we can’t take this motion because the mood of the Senate does not accommodate it.’”

She alleged that when she confronted Akpabio in his office over the delays, he responded with a suggestive remark.

“He then said, ‘Natasha, I’m the chief presiding officer of the Senate. You can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.’

“At that point, I said, ‘Sir, I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear this.’ He said, ‘Well, the ball is in your court.’ I left his office.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan said she initially refrained from telling her husband about the alleged proposition but later confided in him when her motion on Ajaokuta was repeatedly blocked.

“My husband had to take a trip to London. Then the Senate President traveled to London. My husband met with the Senate President and pleaded with him, ‘Let my wife take this motion on Ajaokuta; it is very important to her.’”

Describing her experience, she likened it to a situation where a student is victimized by a lecturer.

“You know the situation we see in universities whereby a student is continuously being failed just because she has not slept with the lecturer? That’s what I’ve been facing, in simple terms.”

Mrs. Akpabio, however, maintains that the allegations are baseless and aimed at maligning her husband for personal gain.