Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has said that stepping down from his position over the sexual harassment allegation leveled against him by the suspended Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was never in his plans.
Recall that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central senatorial district has been having a running battle with the Senate President, God’swill Akpabio.
She has accused him (Akpabio) of harassing her sexually leading to her suspension by the Senate.
He said this on the floor of the Senate plenary in his response to the vote of confidence passed in him by majority leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele.
Bamidele had told Akpabio that he must have disappointed those who expected him to step down over the sexual harassment allegation.
He also expressed gratitude to his colleagues for their loyalty to the Senate President.
“By now, I’m sure you know, sir, that those who felt that by now, this Senate would have asked you to step down would have seen now that we are focused on what we are doing.
“And whatever the level of allegation against anyone of us, we will always ask for evidence, and we will do what is in the overriding public interest. I just want to thank you, and I thank all our colleagues,” Bamidele said.
Akpabio replied, “To answer you, you said, ‘those who would have asked you to step down’, who told you I was going to step down due to false allegations?
“If you watch the record in America, there are black people because of their skin, who went to prison…some 25 years for false allegations. So, I’m not one of those people.
“They will step down for false allegation and when it’s proven that the allegations are false, they say, ‘Oh, we were unfair to Akpabio.’ So, if you have that in mind, please cancel it.”