Suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has likened the Nigerian Senate to a secret society, claiming that lawmakers are too intimidated to challenge decisions made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that senators are afraid to express dissenting opinions due to fears of losing privileges and opportunities.
“There is this culture of fear among the senators. If you dare to criticise the Senate President or express a differing opinion, you risk having all opportunities blocked, and you will not be allowed to speak,” she said.
When asked whether she could substantiate her allegations against Akpabio, she nodded, insisting she had evidence.
Aside from her claim that the former Akwa Ibom governor made inappropriate advances toward her, she recounted another incident where Akpabio and five other senators allegedly teased her about not wearing her wedding ring.
She said, “There was another time when I was rushing to the Senate and forgot to put on my wedding ring. At the event, there were about five other senators who asked, ‘Natasha, why aren’t you wearing your wedding ring? Is there another way of betraying your husband?’
“There was also a time when he told me, ‘Natasha, your husband seems to be enjoying you, and you might be able to twist that beautiful waist of yours…’ He said that, and the others burst into laughter.”
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However, Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, dismissed her claims, saying there was no basis for the allegations.
“Natasha’s behaviour in the Senate does not reflect that. There was never a time the Senate President made any attempt to harass Senator Akpoti at his home or made any inappropriate statements in the Senate,” Nwebonyi said in an interview with The PUNCH.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate for six months following a confrontation with the Senate President over the relocation of her seat. The disagreement escalated when she accused Akpabio of targeting her because she rejected his alleged advances.
She later took her grievances to the international stage, filing a petition with the United Nations’ Inter-Parliamentary Union, alleging political victimisation.
At a Women in Parliament session during the UN meeting, Akpoti-Uduaghan called for global intervention, condemning what she described as a crackdown on her rights. She also claimed she was subjected to harsh penalties, including salary cuts, security withdrawal, and a six-month ban from the National Assembly.
