Former Minister of Works and Housing, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, has stated that the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s captivating beauty, which draws unwanted attention from men, was a problem for her political journey.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Senator Natasha was suspended following a faceoff with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangements.
Before her suspension, the Kogi Central lawmaker asserted during an interview on Arise News Channel that her rift with the Senate President started when she refused Akpabio’s sexual advances. But the Senate eventually suspended her for six months following recommendations from its ethics and privileges committee.
Hoever, speaking on Arise News Channel’s breakfast show on Monday, Ogunlewe noted that the court has frowned at suspension of Senators and that it was administratively wrong to inform a Senator about a changed seating arrangement during plenary.
However, he noted that while it was wrong for Natasha to have “embarrassed herself due to inexperience” during the faceoff with the presiding officer at plenary, the Senate did not have the power to suspend a Senator who was voted in by the majority.
Ogunlewe noted that female Senators do not see themselves as inferior to their male counterparts but that Senator Natasha’s exceptional beauty was a problem for her.
“You know, men, when somebody who is pretty passes by you, your attitude will change. You can smile, you can wink, but you may not talk to her; her beauty is a problem.
“To men, when she is passing, there’s no way a man will not look at that woman. It is a natural thing for a man to look at beautiful women. How you be a man and a beautiful woman will be passing and you will not look at her. It is inbuilt,” he expressed.
Ogunlewe also said that sexual harassment is not a big deal in Nigeria, stating that “when someone toasts you, you have the right to refuse.
“A woman should be skilful to get her way through; they are endangered species.”
The former minister, who was a member of the Senate in 1999 to 2023, also said Natasha could have reported sexual harassment issues to her husband or the leader of her political party.
He clarified that the alleged incident involving Akpoti-Uduaghan did not take place within the Senate but at the residence of the Senate President, adding, “So, don’t let us relate that one to what is happening in the chambers. There is no harassment at all in the chamber.”
Ogunlewe also referenced Akpabio’s past comments, where the Senate President stated that beautiful women often surround him but he never acted inappropriately. “Beauty is not a problem for him,” Ogunlewe said, reiterating Akpabio’s stance.
On resolving the controversy, Ogunlewe urged former Senate Presidents and senior lawmakers to engage Akpabio directly instead of airing grievances publicly.
“They should not sit down and criticise on the pages of newspapers. They can form their own committee and meet Akpabio, who probably is their junior. They should not put the Senate in this level of disrepute,” he advised.
Ogunlewe also recounted that during his time as a minister, there was a committee of elders that would not allow the Senate to get into this kind of situation.
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