Former Presidential Adviser and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has dismissed allegations of sexual harassment in the Senate, stating that female lawmakers, once elected, are beyond such experiences.
Her remarks come in response to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent claim that Senate President Godswill Akpabio hindered her efforts to raise motions on the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she allegedly rejected his sexual advances. Akpoti-Uduaghan made the accusation during a live interview on Arise TV on March 4, 2025.
Ita-Giwa, who previously represented Cross River South Senatorial District, countered the claim, arguing that women who win senatorial seats are no longer susceptible to harassment.
“By the time you contest elections and get to the Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed,” Ita-Giwa said. “You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place.”
She further suggested that raising such allegations reflects weakness, insisting that sexual harassment “cannot happen in the Senate.”
While clarifying that she was not accusing Akpoti-Uduaghan of lying, Ita-Giwa maintained that female politicians should be regarded as equals to their male colleagues and should not portray themselves as victims.
“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,” she stated.
Her comments have ignited a broader debate on the treatment of women in Nigerian politics, raising concerns about how future allegations of sexual misconduct in political spaces will be received.
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