Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday, denied the allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Akpabio made this denial at the resumption of plenary in the Senate on Wednesday, March 5, after a week’s recess.

Dismissing the allegations, Senator Akpabio said, “At no time did I ever harass any woman. I was raised very well by my late single mother, and I have always upheld respect for women. I was even awarded the most gender-friendly governor in Nigeria.”

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The Senate President, who said he had been inundated with calls on the matter since February 25 and that he was aware of the growing social media discourse, urged Nigerians, the media, and social media users to refrain from drawing conclusions and instead await the court’s decision on the matter.

However, immediately after his remarks, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan raised a petition under Order 40, accusing the Senate President of sexual harassment and abuse of office.

She requested permission to step forward and formally lay the petition before the chamber

The Senate subsequently referred the petition to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct, directing it to review the matter as soon as practicable.