Former Presidential Adviser, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegation, asserting that female senators cannot be sexually harassed once they attain their positions.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently alleged on a live television programme that Senate President Godswill Akpabio frustrated her attempts to raise motions about the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she refused his sexual advances.
However, reacting to the claim on Arise TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Ita-Giwa argued that female senators should not make such allegations, as they are equal to their male counterparts in the Senate.
“By the time you contest elections and get to 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.
Clarifying her stance, she added, “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 their colleagues sexually harass them, Ita-Giwa reiterated that making such claims publicly reflects weakness.
“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 stated.
She further stressed that female senators should view themselves as equals to their male counterparts, as winning senatorial elections is a difficult feat.
