A Nigerian senator said he was sexually harassed by one of the country’s leading politicians who told the BBC that the Senate acted like a “cult”.
A covered night later, Natasha Akpoti-Udaghan has been suspended for six months after a petition says Senate President Akpabio, who he denied him.
Her office also rejected culture comparison – the latest twist in a row with questions about questioning about the social conservative gender simplicity.
Akpoti-udaghan said he was punished for saying against the system and now he feared for him and his two years of security details were stripped.
“The Senate of Nigeria acts like a cult. The Senate president runs the Senate like a dictator,” no freedom of expression, “the 45-year-olds for the first TV interview.
In a statement of the BBC, the representative of the Senate chief who Baiya Onyekachi Nwebonyi said the senator Akpoti-udaghan was not silent and that “his own legislative activities that were in line with this claim”.
Akpoti-Udaghan, who represents the opposition of the Democratic Party (PDP), told that sexual harassment began at the home of the home of Akpabio’s home with her husband with her husband.
He said the Akpabio “pressed his hand suggesting” and said “I will do one time we come here and have a good time”.
Nwebonyi, who said he was also during the visit, saying: “At any time during the time the senator’s sexual advance of the senator Akpoti in his home country.”
But Akpoti said it was just a major event and that the harassment went on for months.
He said that, while with senators in the Senate area, Akpabio made a comment to: “Natasha your husband is very happy with your waist.”
“The president of the Senate says it,” Akpoti said BBC.
“He made the sexistist statements then they (senators) all laughter. He says the Senate we are all, he must use it.”
In his portion, Nwebonyi said these allegations “perfectly lie”.
Nigeria has one of the lowest number of female parliamentarians in Africa.
Akpoti-udaghan is one of the four senator women in a parliament of 109 members and also the first female senator in his state.
His petition against Akpabio was expelled because of the “method errors”.
Afterwards, on 6 March, the ethical committee handed up Akpoti-UDaghhan a six-month suspension of free, mentioned “unreal” bad “behavior during a senate’s period.
Akpoti-Udaghan said the BBC that he has no longer accessing security as a result of suspension.
“In the Nigerian space, we have people in the past decades killed because there is a strong view against the government,” he said.
“If I took my son to a walk – because I had a year old – kill me? Do I attack?”
The country’s civil society groups express the concerns of the treatment of Akpoti-Udaghan, who call for a transparent investigation of his allegations.
“Everything we can say is now a sad day for Nigerian women who fight for release. BBC’s apart.
While groups of rights and some social media users express their support for Akpoti-Udaghan, he also has a fair share of detractors.
After he was suspended, two groups of protesters gathered near Parliament in the capital, Abuja – one who supported his workmate and his companion, Chanting ” Akpabio had to go ”.
Akpoti-udaghan also subjected to misogynist abuse on social media since the formation of allegations, he told the BBC.
The scandal is the most recent stage of a political career that is rocky from the beginning.
Akpoti-udagha first ran for the Governor of Kogi State in 2019 and said his candidacy was challenged by his mixture of separate heritage.
He finally appeared on the ballot, but was subjected to physical and oral attacks during his campaign.
In 2023 he ran for the Senate and lost the election. The poll is marked by violence and after Akpoti has brought the matter to the court, the result of the election turned off.
“I thought the worst was in the election,” he told the BBC.
“But for a woman I think it’s never right right? Only different parts, different chapters.”
Akpoti-udaghag has gained legal action to try to prevent his suspension and plan to improve the Senate in his allegations of harassment in his sexual harassment.
Despite severe emotional emotions, he said he did not regret it.
He said he felt encouraged by his husband, young and mass of supporters outside his family, including political women from other African countries.
“I talked every day from the girls who connected with me and told me that they had experienced the same thing in their parliament, but they could not speak,” he said.
“They say, Natasha, do this for us. This is my story and my story is to many women in Nigeria without the courage to speak.”