Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

He reacted to the allegations today at the resumption of plenary in the Senate, after a week’s recess.

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 possible.