Former lawmaker Senator Ayodele Arise has stated that every attractive woman, regardless of location, faces sexual gestures.
He made the comment while discussing the sexual harassment claim made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the Arise TV Morning Show.
Arise argued that such matters should have been handled privately between the parties involved rather than becoming a national issue, especially given the pressing concerns in the country. He emphasized that there is inherent sympathy for women when they bring up sexual harassment allegations.
“Every good-looking woman faces such gestures. People even take other people’s wives, not just in Nigeria. Would this be an issue for a senator? Of course not. Even compliments like ‘you are beautiful’ or ‘gorgeous’ could be seen as sexual harassment. We need to define the limits clearly. The law recognizes cases like rape, where proof exists, and justice is served,” he explained.
Arise also questioned if Akpoti-Uduaghan, as president, would have made such accusations. He suggested that she could have simply rejected the advances, pointing out that she could have declined any inappropriate invitations from Akpabio.
On the issue of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension, Arise criticized the Senate’s decision. He argued that suspending an elected representative for such a long period deprives their district of representation, citing previous court rulings that deemed suspensions longer than two weeks unreasonable.
The controversy began when Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a sexual harassment complaint against Akpabio, which he denied. He clarified that he had never sexually harassed Akpoti-Uduaghan or any other female senator, highlighting his respect for women based on his upbringing.
Following the complaint, Akpabio’s suspension was officially enacted by the Senate on March 6, 2025, after a report by Senator Imasuen Neda Bernards detailed several violations of Senate rules.