Women senators can’t be sexually harassed- Ita Giwa

Former Presidential Adviser and ex-lawmaker for Cross River South, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, asserting that women who attain senatorial positions cannot be victims of sexual harassment. Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Ita-Giwa described such claims as a sign of weakness.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged that Akpabio frustrated her efforts to raise motions about the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State because she refused his sexual advances. However, Ita-Giwa argued that senators are equals and should not make such accusations.

Key Statements by Ita-Giwa:

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• “By the time you contest elections and get to the Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place.”
• “It shows weakness; you don’t allow it. Sexual harassment cannot happen in the Senate.”
• “I am not saying the lady is lying, but when you get to the Senate, you’re there as a person, not as a woman.”

When asked if female lawmakers should remain silent about harassment, Ita-Giwa reiterated her stance, stating that making such allegations at the senatorial level reflects weakness. She emphasized that winning a senatorial election is a significant achievement and that female senators should see themselves as equals to their male counterparts.