Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of demanding sexual favors in exchange for allowing her motions to be heard on the Senate floor.
The lawmaker made this allegation during an interview on Arise TV on Friday morning, which was closely monitored by Truth Live News.
Speaking on the program, Akpoti-Uduaghan disclosed that she had repeatedly attempted to move a motion for the investigation of alleged corrupt practices at the Ajaokuta Steel Company but faced consistent resistance from Akpabio. According to her, the motion was listed five times before it was eventually approved on the sixth attempt.
“Many senators can testify that each time the motion was listed, just before he (Akpabio) was supposed to take it, he would say, ‘Senator Natasha, we can’t take this motion because the Senate does not accommodate it,’ or he would cite an order to delay it until time ran out,” she alleged.
Recounting a private conversation with Akpabio, she said, “I went to him in his office and said, ‘Senate President, you know how important Ajaokuta Steel Company is to me, my people, and Nigerians. Please, sir, why can’t you take this motion? It is very important.’
His response, she claimed, was laced with inappropriate advances: ‘Natasha, I’m the chief presiding officer of the Senate, and you can enjoy a whole lot if you take care of me and make me happy.’”