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Claim
Many Social media users have shared photos of Nigeria’s Senate President Godswill Akpabio kissing his wife in public and claimed it was a result of an earlier viral picture of Senator Natasha and her husband who kissed before the Senate plenary began on Wednesday.
Natasha’s husband, Chief Uduaghan, on Wednesday accompanied her to the Senate after the PDP Senator alleged sexual harassment by Mr Akpabio last week.
An Owerri-based journalist, Chidiebube Okeoma, shared on Facebook the two images of Mr. Akpabio and Natasha with their spouses and wrote, “Yesterday Natasha and her husband kissed before she walked into the chambers and today Akpabio and his wife allegedly revenged and kissed themselves in the full glare of the media in senate premises. ”
“Bunch of comedians.”
The Facebook post garnered over 190 reactions and more than 137 comments.
Ugo Egbujuo, a popular columnist also posted the photo with a caption that reads, “Again I looked at the dictionary to find a word for this situation.”
This same image of Akpabio kissing his wife in public alongside the claim was also published on the Nairaland forum and Instagram recently..
The sexual harassment scandal
In an interview with Arise Television on February 28, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that Mr Akpabio made inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on 8 December 2023.
She claimed that the senate president took her by the hand, led her around his house, and made sexual advances towards her in the presence of her husband, Emmanuel Uduaghan.
She further alleged that Mr Akpabio had, on a separate occasion, insinuated that she should “take care of him” if she wanted her motions to receive favorable consideration on the Senate floor.
However, Ekaette Akpabio, wife of the senate president, has since absolved her husband of the allegations. She also filed two defamation lawsuits against Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, demanding N350 billion in damages to her husband’s reputation.
On Wednesday, The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, officially denied allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him by Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Mr Akpabio maintained that he had never sexually harassed Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan or any woman in his life.
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Mr Akpabio’s response came after Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted a petition accusing the senate president of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and obstruction of her legislative duties.
However, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions ruled that the petition was “dead on arrival” and would not be entertained by the Senate.
Verification
When the photo showing Mr. Akpabio kissing his wife in public was subjected to an Image Reverse Search, results from Google Lens showed that the image first appeared in June 2023 during a Thanksgiving service in Akwa Ibom State.
How?
This photo was attached to an article which was published by an online newspaper, The Conclave.
Dated July 3rd, 2023, the article bears the caption:
Akpabio’s Thanksgiving and the Uncommon Kiss that Spoke, By Udo Silas.
This FactChecker traced further and discovered that the Thanksgiving service took place in June 2023.
On 24th June 2023, Akpabio posted on his official Facebook page similar photos with his wife and other dignitaries during the Thanksgiving service.
Further checks by FACTWATCH Nigeria indicated that another online newspaper published more similar photos of the Thanksgiving service by Akpabio in 2023.
It was gathered that the Thanksgiving was held after Akpabio emerged as the President of the 10th Nigerian Senate in 2023.
Verdict
Simple findings have shown that the photo of Mr Akpabio kissing his wife in public was at a Thanksgiving service in Akwa Ibom State in 2023 and has nothing to do with the recent Senator Natasha’s sexual harassment allegations scandal. Therefore, the claim is MISLEADING.
Credit: FACTWATCH Nigeria
