ABUJA, Nigeria — Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated emphatically that he never contemplated resigning his position over recent allegations of sexual harassment, describing them as false and baseless.
Akpabio made the declaration on Thursday, May 8, 2025, during plenary, responding to a comment by Senate Majority Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, who had earlier passed a vote of confidence in him and dismissed the allegations.
Senator Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central, remarked that those expecting the Senate to demand Akpabio’s resignation would be “disappointed,” saying the upper chamber would always insist on evidence before taking action against any member.
“Whatever the level of allegation against anyone of us, we will always ask for evidence,” Bamidele said, praising the Senate for staying focused and unified.
In his reply, Akpabio shot down any speculation of resignation:
“Who told you I was going to step down due to false allegations?” he asked rhetorically.
“If you watch the record in America, there are black people who went to prison… some for 25 years… for false allegations. I’m not one of those people.”
He continued: “They will ask you to step down, and when the allegations are proven false, they say, ‘Oh, we were unfair to Akpabio.’ If you have that in mind, please cancel it.”
His comments come amid a simmering controversy involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, currently suspended over an unrelated matter, who recently posted a satirical apology to Akpabio on Facebook.
In the post, she sarcastically apologised for “the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect.”
Akpabio has since asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the suspended lawmaker to delete the post from all her social media platforms and issue a formal apology in national dailies. The court has yet to rule on the matter.
