Ordinarily, many Nigerians would have been quick to dismiss the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, by the Senator representing Kogi Central senatorial district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as another antic by a woman out to dent the image of a man.
Many would have seen the allegations as a time-worn defense mechanism often deployed by the women folk whenever they are confronted with an overbearing male superior and want to whip up sentiments as the weaker sex.
But going by past accusations of indecent sexual behaviours leveled against the former Akwa Ibom State governor, majority of Nigerians are divided over what to believe.
For those who do not remember, this is not the first time that Akpabio has come under the radar due to such controversies but he has somehow had the good fortune when such matters come to light, as they are soon forgotten and swept under the carpet.
And like has happened in the past, various groups mobilize to stage protest marches across the country in support of Akpabio, claiming he is the victim in the happenstance.
Senator Akpabio has been embroiled in multiple controversies involving allegations of sexual misconduct towards women, raising significant concerns which has now made it difficult to exonerate him from the Natasha-Gate despite attempts by his wife, media aides, supporters and different groups coming out to defend him.
One of such allegations arose in 2020 when Ms Joi Nunieh, a former Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), accused Akpabio of sexual harassment when he was the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Niger Delta.
In the widely publicized scandal, Ms Nunieh had claimed that during her tenure, Akpabio had made inappropriate advances towards her, leading her to physically defend herself by slapping him.
While the scandal raged, Nunieh had granted an interview where she stated as a matter of fact: “I slapped Akpabio for sexually harassing me.”
Typically, Akpabio vehemently denied the allegations, describing them as a ‘litany of lies’, and emphasized his commitment to ethical conduct and threatened legal action against Nunieh for defamation.
Also, his media team, supporters and other groups who are believed to have been financially mobilized went to town to protest his innocence, with some daring Nunieh to provide evidence of the sexual assault or keep shut forever.
At some point, Nunieh cried out about an attempt on her life and it took the intervention of Nyesom Wike who was then the governor of Rivers State, to douse the tension by threatening to deal with Akpabio if anything happened to Nunieh, a daughter of the state.
At a point, Wike personally went to the house of Nunieh to rescue her, when security agents stormed her residence to arrest her, in the heat of the controversy.
Apart from the Nunieh sexual assault scandal, Akpabio had been in the eyes of the storm over similar cases of sexual discrepancies with some Nollywood actresses including Dakore Egbuson-Akande and Ini Edo.
In July 2024, rumors had surfaced alleging a romantic relationship between Akpabio and Dakore and though he denied such alliance, those in the know swore there was an unholy dalliance between the two.
The actress also denied the claims, labeling them as “wicked lies from the pit of hell,” and threatened legal action against those perpetuating the false narrative.
The case of Ini Edo who is from the same state with Akpabio, took a different dimension as it was rumoured that his wife had openly confronted the sultry actress and even threatened to beat her up anytime she showed up at the government house which she was said to have frequented when Akpabio was the state governor.
Other unsubstantiated cases of sexual harassment also came to public light when Akpabio was alleged to have hit on a female commissioner in his cabinet but as usual, the allegation was promptly and swiftly swept under the carpet.
But in the long run, public perception has been divided as past incidents have helped in fueling debates and discussions about the treatment of women in public offices by their male superiors.
It is now left to be seen how Akpabio will navigate out of the present troubled waters with calls from prominent Nigerians and groups calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations by Senator Natasha.
Will they be swept under the carpet as usual? Will Akpabio have the last laugh as he often does and come out smiling like a saint, or will a different story be told this time around.
Only time will tell!
Source: Ripples
