Fayemi To Ekiti Senator: You Lied, Natasha Never Accused Me Of Sexual Harassment

Cyril Fasuyi, a Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District during the Senate sitting told the Senate that Kayode Fayemi, ex-Minister of Mines and Steel, will be presenting a petition through him, against the petitioner (Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan).

Fasuyi claimed that Senator Natasha had accused Fayemi of selling Ajaokuta Steel whilst he (Fayemi) was Minister but it all turned out to be false.

Mr Senate President, before I say what I want to say, I want to refer you to Psalms 34 line 19 which reads this: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivers him from them all. The righteous person faces many troubles but the LORD comes to his rescue all the time.,

My President, I want to bring up a case that happened when my former governor was ex-Minister of the Federal Republic.

Mr President, I want to say this that my former governor is going to bring a petition on the allegation that Senator Natasha that he (Fayemi) sold Ajaokuta Steel Mill.

And if what is happening about character, then we have to expose the character of the petitioner.

Mr President, I am coming officially with a petition on behalf of my former governor, that he sold Ajaokuta Steel Mill when he was a minister. And Senator Natasha was the one that alleged as of that time.

And as of today, Mr President, Ajaokuta still belongs to the Federal Government. I have just said this as a notice, sir.

Fayemi responds

CLARIFICATION REGARDING ALLEGATIONS MADE BY SENATOR CYRIL FASUYI AGAINST DR. KAYODE FAYEMI

We have become aware of a statement made by Senator Cyril Fasuyi during today’s Senate plenary, in which he alleged that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously accused Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, of sexual harassment.

We categorically state that this claim is entirely false. At no time has Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan—or anyone else, for that matter—ever accused Dr. Fayemi of such misconduct. It appears that the Distinguished Senator from Ekiti inadvertently misrepresented the facts, as no such allegation has ever been made against Dr. Fayemi.

Consequently, there is no basis for Senator Fasuyi’s further assertion that Dr. Fayemi would be submitting a petition to the Senate in this regard. We would like to believe that, in his enthusiasm to defend the Senate President, Senator Fasuyi inadvertently conflated events, leading to a misrepresentation of facts.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
For the record, the only professional engagement Dr. Fayemi ever had with Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was during his tenure as the Honourable Minister of Mines and Steel Development, when he oversaw matters related to the Ajaokuta Steel Company. While they may have held differing views on the future of the company at the time, their interactions remained strictly within the realm of policy discussions. At no point did Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan make any allegations of misconduct against Dr. Fayemi.

We urge Senator Fasuyi to exercise greater diligence in verifying facts before making public statements, especially on sensitive matters that could damage reputations.

Dr. Fayemi remains committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in public service, and we reject any attempt to tarnish his name with baseless allegations

Signed
Mallam Ahmad Sajoh
Head, the Fayemi Media Office, Abuja
March 5th, 2025.

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