Suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has shed new light on her troubled relationship with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, recalling an unsettling exchange when he questioned her about not wearing her wedding ring.
In a revealing interview with the BBC Pidgin Service, Akpoti-Uduaghan described how Akpabio once noticed her missing ring and made a remark that she found inappropriate.
“There was a time I rushed to work and forgot to wear my ring. There were about five Senators there. He (Akpabio) looked at me and said, ‘Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring, is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like these,” she recounted.
The phrase “invitation to treat” is a legal term referring to an offer to negotiate, often used in commercial dealings—but in this context, Akpoti-Uduaghan suggested it carried a more personal undertone.
Her remarks came amid an ongoing political storm following her six-month suspension from Senate, which she claimed was a deliberate effort to silence her after clashing with Akpabio over seating arrangement during a plenary session last month.
“I am being victimised. My suspension is a means of silencing me,” she stated.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Senate suspended female Senator on March 6 for what it termed “gross misconduct” after she failed to appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Privileges.
In-between the days, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of sexual harassment and obstruction of her legislative functions.
However, Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, dismissed the allegations, insisting Akpabio never made inappropriate advances toward Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“Senator Natasha’s legislative activities show this claim is not true,” Nwaebonyi told the BBC, while also denying that her suspension was politically-motivated.
The controversy surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension has reignited conversations about gender dynamics in Nigerian politics.
Critics argued that the Senate’s secrecy and lack of accountability created a hostile environment for female lawmakers, while others insisted that disciplinary measures within the legislature must remain separate from political disputes.
