Ohaneze Ndigbo knocks Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over sex harassment allegation
*** Hails Senate, Nigerians for solidarity with Akpabio
***Says harassment allegation worn out story
*Stands by eyewitness account rendered by Senate Deputy Chief Whip
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An Igbo group, Ohaneze Stakeholders Forum (OSF) has lambasted the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over the allegation of sexual harassment she levelled against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
OSF in a press statement issued on Wednesday accused the Kogi federal lawmaker of peddling falsehood in order to blackmail and discredit the Senate President.
The group in the statement signed by its President, Ikechukwu Nwolisa and Secretary, Okonkwo Chimdi, however, hailed the Senate and Nigerians for standing solidly behind Akpabio in the unfolding premeditated grand designs to impugn the integrity of the leader of the National Assembly.
OSF said it was noteworthy that the senators and Nigerians stood by the truth, fairness and justice by treating the allegation against Akpobio with ignominy that it rightly deserved.
OSF said the latest antics of Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio showed that she lacked integrity and credibility, expressing concerns that Akpoti-Uduaghan was in the habit of notoriously fabricating falsehood and lies against accomplished male citizens in order to remain relevant and boost her dented image.
OSF said, “Akpoti-Uduaghan is merely “rehearsing an old, worn out stories, which she notoriously peddle against high-profile men to blackmail them. Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, is undoubtedly not the first to be so accused by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of sexually harassing her. For Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing every man of wanting to sleep with her is now a slogan.”
“Just as Senator Florence Ita-Giwa said that that no right thinking distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would descend this low to blackmail a man for pecuniary gains. It is utterly despicable.”
“The questions begging for answers in the show of shame by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan are many. Why is Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan always in the news for wrong reasons? Why is she always alleging sexual harassment in order to trend in the public psyche? Is this the only option available to her to seek relevance? Her actions and public utterances are appalling and unbecoming of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“Why did she not cry wolves of being sexually harassed when she was made the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content? Why did she accept the Chairmanship of the Local Content Committee from someone who was harassing her sexually? She ought to have rejected the appointment as a delvish ploy to lure and entice her into an unholy romantic journey with the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.”
“This controversial Senator didn’t also raise an alarm that she was being harassed sexually when she leveraged on her privileged position as chairperson of the Senate committee on Local Content to influence the location of five gas facilities at her state, Kogi state. It’s sad and more disturbing that her co-traveller in this journey to pull down the President of the Senate, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, who is her husband, could not persuade his wife to site one of the gas facilities in his home state, Delta State, which is a major oil producing state.”
“She has to wait until she was removed as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content in February 2025 apparently for misconduct and allocated another seat before she came to her senses that Akpabio requested for an amorous relationship with her in December 2023. Why wait for this long before appearing on the national television to spill the milk? It shows that her action was a pure blackmail.”
“We believe the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Onyekachi Onwaebonyi that the story of sexual harassment was borne out of frustration of being removed as chairperson of the Grade A and lucrative Senate Committee on Local Content and nothing more. Having been removed, she decided to deploy her usual tactics by blackmailing the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio.”
“It’s her normal ways of life. Many prominent male citizens have become her victims- we can name them, former Governor Yahaya Bello, Senator Dino Melaye and and a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri. Possibly Senator Godswill Akpabio would not be the last man to be blackmailed by this desperate lady,” added OSF, in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Ohaneze group offered advice to the embattled Kogi Senator.
OSF counselled her to be creative and tactful going forward by initiating fresh ideas to achieve her goal of blackmailing innocent men.
The group said Nigerians are no longer cajoled by her old-fashioned stories of accusing innocent prominent Nigerian men of sexually harassing her.
“These tactics of pointing accusing fingers of sexual harassment at men who have disagreement with her is worn out and no longer giving her desired outcome. She should seek other ways of carrying out her trade of blackmailing men to advance her political career.”
OSF praised the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Onwaebonyi for his boldness and courage in giving true and authentic accounts of the senators’ attendance of Akpabio’s birthday ceremony in December 2023.
According to the group, Onwaebonyi’s accurate account of the sequence of events which took place during the Senate President’s birthday celebrations in Uyo and Ikot-Ekpene in December 2023 has put a lie to the accusation by Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“In that bold interview on the national television, Senator Onyekachi Onwaebonyi, the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, has ended the controversy generated by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s unwarranted vituperations. From the account of Senator Onwaebonyi, it was clear that Akpoti-Uduaghan was out to blackmail the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio and win undeserved public sympathy.”
“We advise that whoever misses the interview to look for the tape and listen to it in order to be better informed and arrive at rational judgement and draw incontrovertible conclusions,” the statement further stated.
