“Sexual harassment can not happen in the Senate” – Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim of sexual harassment

A former lawmaker for Cross-River South Senatorial District, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim of sexual harassment, stating that women cannot be harassed once they become senators.

Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, Ita-Giwa argued that it is a sign of weakness for female lawmakers to make such claims.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio frustrated her motions on Ajaokuta Steel Company because she refused his sexual advances.

Ita-Giwa, however, said, “By the time you contest elections and get to 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.

“And again, it shows weakness; you don’t allow it. It (sexual harassment) can not 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. You’re not there as a woman.”

When asked if female lawmakers should remain silent about harassment from colleagues, Ita-Giwa, who is a former presidential adviser, insisted that making such allegations at that level reflects weakness.