Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called on Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to apologise to the Senate, suggesting it could lead to a reconsideration of her six-month suspension.
Speaking during plenary on Thursday, Mr Akpabio expressed that the Senate, under his leadership, is committed to peace and remains open to resolving internal conflicts. However, he cautioned that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s handling of her suspension could discourage political leaders from appointing women to significant positions in the future.
“We are still open to making sure that we remain in peace. We left room for her to recognise that what she is doing may even frighten a lot of men in future from even appointing or selecting female deputy governors,” Mr Akpabio said.
He added an analogy to emphasize his point: “You can imagine if somebody like Kamala, the immediate past vice president of the United States, were to go on CNN to say that President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her by shaking her hand or by holding her hand to show her the office of the president. That automatically means that nobody will pick another woman as vice president.”
Mr Akpabio appealed to politicians not to let one incident affect opportunities for women in politics.
“But I have four daughters, so I want to plead with politicians to still give my four children a chance. Do not take the action of one person and punish others,” he added.
Despite the controversy, Mr Akpabio reassured the public that the Senate remains dedicated to promoting gender representation. He highlighted that all four female senators currently serve as committee chairpersons to ensure women’s voices are heard in the legislature.
“My religion and the Bible forbid that, that the sins of the father will no longer be visited on the children. So please, we still have absolute confidence in our female folks. In this 10th Assembly of the Senate, we have only four women and the four of them are all committee chairmen, intentionally, in order to give a voice to women in the parliament,” he noted.
He also acknowledged the vote of confidence from fellow senators, pledging not to take their support for granted.
Mr Akpabio clarified that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was a unanimous decision by the Senate, not a personal action against her. He accused her of distorting the circumstances of her suspension in media appearances and criticized her for seeking international intervention without fully exploring domestic avenues for resolution.
“It’s also important for the public to know that whatever decision we arrive at here is unanimous and I recall the last decision we took which concerned one of our sisters, Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. I’m also aware that when she left the chambers, she went to Brekete Radio and Arise Television, and she distorted the facts,” he stated.
He expressed disappointment that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan had taken her complaints to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), suggesting it was an attempt to discredit Nigeria on the global stage.
“I’m aware further that she has now externalised the matter by attempting to embarrass the Federal Republic of Nigeria by going to give a narrative at the IPU UN event, totally different from what occurred in the Senate,” he said.
Mr Akpabio commended House of Representatives member Kafilat Ogbara for addressing the situation in New York, clarifying the Senate’s position to the international press.
He stressed that the Senate operates within the framework of the Nigerian Constitution and has mechanisms to handle internal disputes.
“She has gone to the international community, and she may not even allow the international community to look into it. She might decide to run to……..I don’t know where. I don’t want to be misquoted. But the reality is that we remain resolute. We are law-abiding. We operate through the rules of the Senate, which is an extension of the powers and privileges given to us by the grund norm, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
