“I am being victimised. My suspension is a means of silencing me.” Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, (PDP, Kogi central), has described the Nigerian Senate as operating like a “cult,” where lawmakers avoid expressing dissenting opinions for fear of retaliation. Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her recent suspension was aimed at silencing her. Parliament Reports recalls that the senator was suspended from the red chamber on March 6 for what was described...
Kingibe emphasised that her previous comments were not meant to undermine Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims but to highlight her initial lack of awareness of the allegations. Sen. Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT), has vowed to champion the sexual harassment allegations raised by Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central). As the Chair of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Kingibe has called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter. In a statement posted on her official X handle,...
This marks the third time the senate has passed a confidence vote in Akpabio during the 10th senate and the second time in connection with the ongoing dispute involving Akpoti-Uduaghan. The Senate has reaffirmed its support for its President, Godswill Akpabio, by passing a vote of confidence in his leadership. The senate’s decision comes just 48 hours after Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) addressed the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in New York, alleging that her...
It may seem as though the controversy between Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio may not be getting off the news anytime soon. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has been thrust into the center of a growing political storm following Nigerian Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal for intervention over her suspension from the Senate. By taking her case beyond Nigeria’s borders, the embattled senator has positioned the IPU as a potential arbiter in a controversy that touches on political...
Bamidele advised Akpoti-Uduaghan to use the six-month suspension period to study the senate rule book, to avoid similar infractions in the future. The Leader of the Senate, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged the Department of State Services (DSS) to review the recorded phone conversation between him and suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) His call follows Akpoti-Uduaghan’s recent interview on Arise Television, where she accused him of threatening her, allegedly saying that if Senate...
Shortly after the passage of the recommendations, Akpoti-Uduaghan rose up saying, “this injustice will not be sustained.” The senate has suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) for a period of six months following the adoption of a report by the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions during Thursday’s plenary session. This development comes in the wake of a heated confrontation in the Senate two Thursdays ago when Akpoti-Uduaghan strongly protested the reassignment of...
The chairman ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan personally signed the petition rather than having it endorsed by a third party, making it invalid under senate rules. The senate has dismissed a petition filed by Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, citing procedural irregularities and legal restrictions. At an investigative hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo south), chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, ruled...
Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno immediately objected, arguing that the Senate could not entertain the petition since the issue was already before a court. The senate was thrown into a tense session on Wednesday as Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) officially tendered a petition on the floor, alleging sexual harassment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Akpoti-Uduaghan, citing Order 40 of the senate rules, raised the petition during plenary, referencing comments she had previously made...
However, their demonstration was cut short as security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force intervened, deploying tear gas to disperse the crowd. A coalition of civil society organisations staged a protest at the national assembly gate on Wednesday, calling for Senate President Godswill Akpabio to step down to allow for an independent investigation into allegations made by Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The demonstrators arrived as early as 8 a.m., just before the senate’s plenary session commenced, holding...
Meanwhile, Sen Ireti recalled a conversation in which Natasha mentioned that Akpabio had asked to meet her at a hotel. The wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, has strongly refuted the sexual harassment allegations leveled against her husband, Senator Godswill Akpabio, by Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Speaking to journalists shortly after the allegations surfaced, Mrs. Akpabio described them as baseless and a product of wild imagination. She recalled the longstanding cordial relationship between...
