“Women can’t be S£xually harassed when they become senators” — Ita-Giwa

Former Presidential Adviser and ex-senator Florence Ita-Giwa has expressed her belief that once women become senators, they can no longer be victims of se¥ual harassment.

This comment came in response to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had claimed that Akpabio thwarted her attempts to raise motions about the Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State, allegedly because she refused his s£xual advances.

During a live TV interview on March 4, 2025, Ita-Giwa dismissed the idea of s£xual harassment in the Senate, asserting that women who have ascended to such a position of power and responsibility should no longer be subjected to such treatment.

She stated, “By the time you contest elections and get to the Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being s£xually harassed. You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place.”

For Ita-Giwa, a former lawmaker representing Cross-River South Senatorial District, complaining about s£xual harassment once one is in the Senate is not only inappropriate but also reflects weakness. 

According to her, women in such a powerful political position should not allow themselves to be vulnerable to such behavior, and accusing colleagues of harassment undermines their strength and credibility.

She remarked, “It is the worst sign of weakness on a woman’s part to come out and accuse a man of making passes at you at that level.”

While Ita-Giwa clarified that she was not outrightly accusing Akpoti-Uduaghan of lying, she emphasized that once a woman enters the Senate, she is no longer seen primarily as a woman but as an individual in a political arena, where personal grievances like s£xual harassment should not be raised.