Sexual harassment: I’ll advise Akpabio to apologise to Natasha –Agbakoba
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has advised Senate President Godswill Akpabio to apologise to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over the sexual harassment allegation against him, if need arises. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had in March 2025, submitted an affidavit to the Senate Ethics Committee as supporting evidence in her petition against […]
natasha akpabio
Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has advised Senate President Godswill Akpabio to apologise to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over the sexual harassment allegation against him, if need arises.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had in March 2025, submitted an affidavit to the Senate Ethics Committee as supporting evidence in her petition against the Senate President.
In the petition, she had accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and obstruction of legislative duties.
But the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions dismissed the allegations against the Senate President, declaring it as “dead on arrival”.
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Speaking during a press conference at his Apapa Chambers in Lagos on Tuesday, Agbakoba, stated that he decided to make his intentions public so that Akpoti-Uduaghan would not see his moves as “confrontational.”
Dr. Agbakoba pointed out the disparities in the timeline, insisting that there are “significant inconsistencies” in the sexual harassment allegations made by Akpoti-Uduaghan against Akpabio.
The legal luminary called for a fair and evidence-driven approach to the sensitive claims, while affirming his support for efforts to combat gender-based harassment.
“We respect and support the global and national efforts to create a safe and respectful environment for all, especially women in public life. However, we must also uphold the principles of justice, which require fairness, objectivity, and evidence,” he stated.
Agbakoba, who has over four decades of experience in the legal profession, specifically questioned the timeline of events presented by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, noting that while the alleged incident was said to have occurred on December 8, 2023, the senator made publicly positive comments about Akpabio on social media the following day, December 9.
“These posts included praise for the Senate President and reflections on his birthday celebration in Uyo, Akwa Ibom,” Agbakoba said. “This juxtaposition — an alleged traumatic incident followed by voluntary public eulogies — presents a contradiction that must be carefully examined.”
He also referenced past allegations made by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, including a 2021 claim against a former presidential aide which was later withdrawn, and an earlier video in which she accused an unnamed minister of misconduct.
Agbakoba clarified that past incidents did not nullify present claims but noted that such patterns underscored the importance of consistency and corroboration.
He urged the senator to present further evidence, especially since she had previously indicated willingness to provide more details.
“As the claim currently stands, it falls short of the global legal threshold for proving sexual harassment,” he said, adding that the matter should be addressed through proper institutional channels, not media trials.
In a letter dated April 14 and addressed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan — yet to be formally delivered — Agbakoba’s team requested clarifications on the contradictions identified, giving a two-week window for response to determine the next course of action.
The letter to Natasha reads thus: “we are solicitors to senator Godswill Akpabio (Our Client) and write bases on his instructions regarding your claims of sexual harassment stated in your petition dated 4th March 2025.
“We respect and support the global and international efforts to create a safe and respectful environment for all, especially women in public life. Gender based harassment has no place in our institutions and every allegation deserves serious attention. While we support a society where individuals feel safe to speak up, we must also uphold the principles of justice that require evidence and fairness . Our legal system is built on the presumption of innocence untill proven guilty, and this fundamental principle must be respected even in sensitive case. We painstakingly reviewed you claims and have concern.
“At paragraph 4.1.2 of your petition, you claim our client sexually harassed you on December 8, 2023, during your visit to his residence in Akwa Ibom State. For ease of reference, a copy of your petition highlighting the relevant part is attached.
“However, just one day later, on December 9, 2023, you posted warm, celebratory massages about our client on your social account (Instagram and X/Twitter). In these posts, you expressed admiration and personal affection towards him. Copies of these post from Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are attached to this letter with relevant portion.
“The timeline and dates are so contradictory. On the one hand, you complain about sexual harassment on December 8, 2023, yet on the other, you praise Senator Akpabio who you alleged sexually harassed you on December 9, 2023. The juxtaposition of these two events,an alleged traumatic harassment followed by voluntary, public expression of admiration requires care consideration.”