By Stella Odueme
As the controversy of alleged sexual harassment involving Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, rages, Every Woman Hope Centre (EWHC) has called on relevant authorities to ensure thorough and transparent investigation in the best interest of democracy in the country.
Speaking on the issue at a press briefing on Monday in Abuja, the Founder/Executive Director of EWHC, an NGO with special interest on biodiversity, women and children, Mrs. Edel-Quinn Agbaegbu said instead of victimizing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, she should be rather be respected for her boldness against the culture of silence, intimidation and victim-shaming which perpetrates an environment where victims are silenced and perpetrators emboldened.
“In the light of this unfortunate development, EWHC is recommending that relevant authorities should open up due process, instead of trivializing matters for the best interest of the integrity of the Senate.
“We suggest that a thorough investigation of the allegations should be carried out and the process shall be very transparent, to build conderation in our systems in the best interest of democracy in Nigeria. A seeming disregard of the fundamental human right of fair hearing of a Nigerian citizen should not be allowed to slide. The guilty should be punished.
“Her bravery to stand up against alleged man’s inhumanity to man, should serve as an encouragement to other womeb who are the most vulnerable to sexual harassment to voice out in the face of similar challenges,” she stressed.
She criticized what she described as a disregard for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to a fair hearing and that any proven wrongdoing should be punished accordingly to maintain the integrity of the Senate.
The controversy began on February 20, 2025, when tensions arose following Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s protest over the reallocation of her seat in the Senate chamber after two senators defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Senate President Akpabio instructed that she should be moved from the chamber and referred her to the Senate Ethics Committee for allegedly defying Senate rules.
Following this, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a sexual harassment petition against Akpabio on February 28, 2025. Despite a court injunction, the Senate suspended her for six months on March 6, 2025. Her suspension included the withdrawal of her security detail, official vehicles, and salary, along with a ban on identifying as a senator or appearing at the National Assembly.
EWHC condemned the suspension, stating that it not only silenced a female senator but also left Kogi Central Senatorial Zone without representation. The organization expressed concerns about the impact of the case on women’s participation in Nigerian politics and described it as a reflection of the country’s entrenched culture of silence and stigmatization against women.
“We should not allow this injustice to be sustained,” Agbaegbu said, warning that the marginalization of women in governance continues to weaken democracy even as her urged the society to respect Akpoti-Uduaghan for speaking out rather than punishing her.
She advocated for broader reforms to address sexual harassment and intimidation in politics.
As parts of plans to support women and the senator’s plight, EWHC said it will mobilize Nigerian women in solidarity, drawing parallels to the Aba Women’s Riot of 1929 in a peaceful advocacy.
The organization vowed to push for reforms that ensure a fair and just democratic system where women’s rights are upheld.
EWHC called on the authorities to handle the case with transparency, fairness, and respect for the rule of law, emphasizing that the issue extends beyond one individual and represents a larger struggle for women’s empowerment in Nigeria.
“On account of what the plight of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan means for a women emancipation, EWHC has now taken it upon itself to mobilize women of Nigeria to support the house.
This is a clarion call for action like what women did in Aba in 1929, but not with violence this time.
“She represents women ordeal, trail, concerns, and faith. What should matter most now, is to mainstream best practices that will enhance growth and development of society and ensure sustainable democracy where justice is upheld,” she noted.
