Former presidential aide, Reno OmokriRENO OMOKRI, has reignited a past controversy by sharing a video of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accusing him of sexual harassment. This move comes on the heels of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s similar allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio
The video, which Omokri posted on his Facebook page, shows Akpoti-Uduaghan claiming that Omokri made inappropriate advances towards her at a state banquet in Aso Rock hosted by then-President Goodluck Jonathan on May 6, 2014. However, Omokri denied the allegations, stating that he was in the United States at the time, working as a special envoy for President Jonathan. He also accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of fabricating the claims and noted that she later deleted the allegations from her social media accounts.
This controversy has added to the existing tension surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan, who has been suspended from the Senate for six months. The suspension followed a heated dispute with Senate President Akpabio over a change in her seating arrangement. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team has vowed to challenge the suspension in court, arguing that it violates an existing court order restraining the Senate from taking disciplinary action.
The Nigerian Bar Association and opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, have condemned the Senate’s handling of the issue. Critics argue that Akpoti-Uduaghan was not given a fair hearing before her suspension.
Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio remain under review by the Senate Ethics Committee, with a report expected in the coming weeks. The controversy surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan has sparked a wider debate about the handling of sexual harassment allegations in Nigeria’s political sphere.