Alleged harassment: Senator Natasha’s claim is sign of weakness, says Ita-Giwa
A former lawmaker for Cross-River South Senatorial District, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has downplayed the claim of harassment by her colleague, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
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.
However, in an interview on Tuesday, Ita-Giwa argued that women in the Senate cannot be sexually harassed once they are elected, adding that Natasha’s claim is a sign of weakness.
Ita-Giwa said, “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.
“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.”
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 emphasised that achieving a senatorial seat is no easy feat and should empower female senators to stand strong against any form of harassment.
