Former Presidential Adviser and Senator, Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations, stating that women who become senators are beyond such experiences.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently alleged during a live television interview that Senate President Godswill Akpabio frustrated her motions regarding the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she refused to sleep with him.
However, reacting to the allegations during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Ita-Giwa asserted that it is a sign of weakness for female lawmakers to claim sexual harassment in the Senate.
“By the time you contest elections and get to the Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place. And again, it shows weakness; you don’t allow it. It (sexual harassment) cannot happen in the Senate,” she said.
While clarifying that she was not discrediting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, Ita-Giwa insisted that at the senatorial level, women should see themselves as equals to their male colleagues.
“I am not saying the lady is lying, but when you get to the Senate, you’re there as a person. You’re not there as a woman. At that stage in politics, if you come out and say someone is sexually harassing you, it is a weakness.”
When asked whether female lawmakers should remain silent if harassed by their colleagues, Ita-Giwa stood firm on her stance, maintaining that women should not perceive themselves as vulnerable in such positions of power.
“On this matter, I am not with Senator Akpoti. It is the worst sign of weakness on a woman’s part to come out and accuse a man of making passes at you at that level,” she declared.
She concluded by emphasizing that winning a senatorial election is not easy, and once women secure their place in the legislative chamber, they should carry themselves as equals and focus on governance rather than personal complaints.
