Former Presidential Adviser and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa has rejected the sexual harassment claim made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that women in the Senate cannot be sexually harassed once they are elected.
Akpoti-Uduaghan recently accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of frustrating her efforts to raise motions concerning the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she allegedly refused his sexual advances.
The claim was made during a live television interview on March 4, 2025, on Arise TV.
In response, Ita-Giwa, who represented the Cross-River South Senatorial District, criticized the notion that female lawmakers could be victims of sexual harassment once they are elected.
She asserted that once a woman contests and wins a senatorial seat, she has moved beyond such experiences and is no longer vulnerable.
“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.”
Ita-Giwa also suggested that complaining about sexual harassment in the Senate is a sign of weakness. “It shows weakness; you don’t allow it. It (sexual harassment) cannot happen in the Senate,” she added.
While she clarified that she was not accusing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of lying, Ita-Giwa stressed that women in politics should be seen as equal to their male counterparts.
She emphasized that achieving a senatorial seat is no easy feat and should empower female senators to stand strong against any form of harassment.
“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,” Ita-Giwa remarked.
Ita-Giwa further stated that it is unproductive for female senators to publicly accuse their male colleagues of harassment, calling it “the worst sign of weakness”.
Her comments have sparked a heated debate over the treatment of women in Nigerian politics, with many questioning the implications for future claims of sexual misconduct in the political arena.
