Senate Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Nwebonyi has dismissed allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
He said Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is making the accusations for political reasons and to escape disciplinary actions.
In a statement to journalists on Sunday, Nwebonyi said the claims are baseless.
He said the timing of the allegations was to divert attention from an ongoing disciplinary action against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Nwebonyi also faulted former Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki for comparing his own case with Akpabio’s.
He said Saraki’s case was about official duties and the importation of official vehicle.
He noted that the case at the time was resolved by the Senate Ethics Committee.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s case, he said, is personal, unverified and has only surfaced as she’s being investigated.
He also said Akpoti-Uduaghan has a history of making reckless and unsubstantiated claims against prominent figures like Reno Omokri, Dino Melaye and Yahaya Bello.
He said her claims tend to follow a pattern of exaggerated claims, media hype and no evidence. He said if she genuinely believed she was harassed, she should have taken her case to the Senate, not a TV interview.
He said the Senate operates on reason and rule of law not sentiment and drama.
The Deputy Chief Whip also said Akpoti-Uduaghan was appointed Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content in November 2023, before the alleged incident in Ikot Ekpene happened.
He asked how the Senate leadership under Akpabio could have appointed her into that position if she was a victim.
Nwebonyi said the Senate should not allow itself to be hijacked by baseless claims. He advised Akpoti-Uduaghan to take her case to the right channels rather than using the Senate as a platform for drama.
He said the right thing to do is for her to answer the Senate Ethics Committee on her alleged misconduct.
According to him, she should take her valid sexual harassment claim to the proper legal channel instead of using the media and the Senate as a cover against accountability.
Legitimising unverified claims can set a bad precedent.
A bad precedent that can allow anyone to make false claims to disrupt Senate proceedings.
He ends by advising both the Senate and the Nigerian public to reject this drama.
Nwebonyi says the Senate must stay focused, maintain order and not validate what he calls an opportunistic lie.