Natasha Threatened To Disgrace Akpabio If He Didn’t Return Her As Local Content Committee Chairman – Senate Deputy Chief Whip

The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Peter Nwaebonyi, has declared that the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, threatened to disgrace Senate President Godswill Akpabio over her deployment to another committee.

Nwaebonyi said Akpoti-Uduaghan made the threat one day before she appeared on Arise Television and accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Naija News reports the Senate Deputy Chief Whip made the revelation on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television.

According to him, Akpoti-Uduaghan had vowed to carry out her threat if Akpabio didn’t reassign her to the Senate Committee on Local Content, where she was moved to the Diaspora Committee.

According to Nwaebonyi, the Kogi Central lawmaker was dissatisfied with her redeployment to another committee, and her allegations against Akapbio are part of a grand plan to force a return to the Local Content Committee.

Nwaebonyi alleged that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment claim followed her failed attempt to regain the chairmanship of a committee lost in a recent reshuffle.

He said Akpoti-Uduaghan had made her plan known to Senator Sani Musa of Niger State a day before she appeared on TV.

“Senator Natasha was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, a position she felt comfortable with.

“However, in the Senate, from time to time, committee leaderships are changed; they are reshuffled — her committee was affected just like every other chairmen.

“She was shifted to the Senate Committee on Diaspora, which didn’t go down well with Senator Natasha,” Nwaebonyi said.

The Plot

He alleged that Natasha threatened Akpabio during a phone call with Senator Musa and disclosed her plans to disgrace the Senate President.

“Let me tell you — a day before she appeared on Arise TV, claiming this sexual harassment, she called a senator (Senator Sani Musa of Niger State).

“She asked him to tell the Senate President to return her as chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content. She threatened that if this was not done, she would disgrace the Senate President.

“Senator Sani Musa then called the Senate President and said, ‘Look at the threat from this lady,’ Nwaebonyi said on Thursday.

Akpabio’s Response

The Deputy Senate Chief Whip, however, disclosed that Akpabio was unmoved by the threat, saying that the reshuffling of committee members is a normal parliamentary process, and he has to do his job.

Nwaebonyi maintained categorically that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations of sexual harassment are purely because of her desire to be returned to her previous committee, not because she was harrassed as claimed.

“The Senate President responded, ‘Well, let her do what she wants to do. I am doing my job as a presiding officer. The reshuffling of committee members is normal’.

“Nigeria should know this. Senator Natasha is claiming sexual harassment because she lost the chairmanship of the Local Content Committee, not because she was harassed by Senator Akpabio or any other senator,” he submitted.

Meanwhile, Naija News reports that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has been suspended for six months by the Senate following a report from the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

She has, however in her immediate reaction, vowed that the injustice will not be sustained.