The Senate has shot down rumors that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Kogi Central was suspended for claiming Senate President Godswill Akpabio sexually harassed her. Instead, they say her six-month suspension came from breaking Senate rules specifically Sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the 2023 Senate Standing Orders and acting out of line during meetings.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele cleared this up in a three-page statement on Saturday, blaming some media outlets for spreading lies. Based on a report from the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for bad behavior and ignoring seating rules during sessions. They added that if she writes an apology, they might lift the suspension early.

But instead of owning up, Bamidele said Akpoti-Uduaghan has been telling people she was punished for her harassment accusation against Akpabio. He insisted that’s not true the suspension was all about her breaking Senate rules over and over. Plus, her harassment petition didn’t follow the right steps to be taken seriously by the Senate.

Here’s part of what Bamidele’s statement said: “Some news stories are wrongly saying Akpoti-Uduaghan got suspended over sexual harassment claims. That’s a lie and a twist of the truth. If she’d followed the rules, we’d have looked at her petition fairly. But she didn’t, so we couldn’t.”

The statement explained that the whole Senate agreed to suspend her after the Ethics Committee reported she’d broken rules. They listed her offenses from February 25, 2025: refusing to sit where she was told despite pleas from other senators, talking without permission, acting disruptive, and throwing rude comments at Senate leaders. That’s why she’s out, not because of any harassment story, the Senate says.

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