What Akpabio said about my waist, squeezed my hands during greetings – Sen. Natasha

Suspended senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of making inappropriate remarks about her, including suggestive comments about her waist movements.

In an interview with the BBC, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Akpabio would often squeeze her hands in a “suggestive way”.

“We women, we know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way,” she stated.

She recalled an incident where she forgot to wear her wedding ring to work and was in the presence of about five senators when Akpabio commented, “Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring… is this an invitation to treat?”

She also alleged that Akpabio once remarked, “Natasha, your husband is really enjoying. It looks like you’d be able to make good movements with your waist.” According to her, such “sexist statements” were often met with laughter from other senators.

Expressing her frustration, she stated, “People don’t understand what it means to carry this. Maybe we don’t talk about it enough in Nigeria or Africa. I just want a place where I would just work. I thought the worst was over, but I guess for a woman, it’s never really over, right?”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate on March 6 for “gross misconduct and unruly behavior” following an altercation with Akpabio over seating arrangements. Her suspension came just a day after she submitted a sexual harassment petition against the Senate President.

However, the Senate has denied any link between her suspension and the petition.