“You’re Not Wearing Your Ring—Is This an Invitation to Treat?” Senator Natasha Recalls Akpabio’s Remark on a Day She Wasn’t Wearing Her Wedding Ring

Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of making inappropriate remarks and advances toward her, claiming her recent suspension was a calculated attempt to silence her voice in the Senate.

In a BBC interview on Tuesday, the Kogi Central lawmaker recalled a particular comment from Akpabio after he noticed she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. “There was a time I rushed to work and forgot to wear my ring,” she said. “There were about five senators there. He said, ‘Oh Natasha, you’re not wearing your ring—Is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan described the comment as part of a pattern of behaviour she classified as sexual harassment. She also alleged a separate incident at Akpabio’s country home where he held and squeezed her hand in what she called a “very suggestive way,” despite her husband being present.

The senator insists her six-month suspension, which took effect on March 6 after she failed to appear before the Senate Ethics and Privileges Committee, is politically motivated and intended to suppress her.

Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Nwaebonyi has dismissed the allegations, saying Akpabio never made inappropriate advances and rejecting claims of a coordinated effort to silence her.