Injustice and Silence: The Natasha vs Akpabio Saga and What It Means for the Common Woman

By Barr. Lotachukwu Ogbonnia

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Dabbling on my notepad on March 8, 2025, International Women’s Day, I ended up creating an article that picked the interests of many readers. I’m now urged by them to publish it. I hope it sends a positive message.
 
I’ve carefully followed the conversations on the Natasha v. Akpabio and the Senate situation. To say the least, I’ve been embarrassed by so many reactions and opinions expressed by fellow Nigerians on the matter.
 
Unfortunately, this saga has led me to conclude that, as a nation, we haven’t even started our journey to sanity. 
 
Hear me out.
 
The controversy revolves around the Member of the Senate representing Kogi Central District, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s allegations of sexual assault against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. Prior to these allegations, Senator Natasha had been facing the lashing from the Senate for flagrantly disobeying house rules. 
 
Her allegations were referred to the relevant disciplinary committee for investigation, Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, that has also been tasked with taking disciplinary measures against her for the alleged breach of the House Orders. 
 
What puts these allegations to public light is that the Kogi Senator has been met with a suspension, at the centre of her allegations, despite a Court Order to pend the decisions of the House in line with Section 6 of the Constitution of the FRN. Admittedly, the reason behind the suspension bordered on her flagrant disobedience of the house rules, even if it can be lightly assumed that she faced the suspension because she made bold allegations against the Senate President, putting the Presiding Officer and the Senate to public opprobrium, and as a result, would face the “consequences”
 
Many people speculate that it was in retaliation for her allegations against the Senate President.
 
In the face of these reactions, disappointingly, the other women senators have been mute. The more disappointing is that the first lady of the country, Sen. Remi Tinibu, who’d been in the Senate for 12 years spoke on the issues without speaking in solidarity for the main dramatis personae, bearing in mind that a voice for Natasha in the centre of the conversations on sexual assault would mean a voice of hope for women all over the country.

I watched with heartaches the reactions on the internet, people trying to shut her down on her allegations and applauding her suspension etc. Then I saw some trending videos of women carrying placards in support for the leader of the Senate, and further shutting down the Kogi Central Senator. “A man is free to look”, ” Natasha go and rest” “investigate what?” 
 
Radarada.
 
Apparently, on the flip of it, some women groups on Friday rejected the suspension of Natasha, describing it as an assault on democracy and a deliberate attempt to silence women in leadership. To wit, the Coalition for Women in Governance and the Women in Management, Business, and Public Service. The coalition has threatened to mobilize women for a massive protest if the decision was not reversed. 

I applaud this energy– the women-supporting-women energy.
 
A lot of people don’t understand the depth of this controversy. It’s not just the sexual allegations, it’s that a prospective project that would benefit a large group of  people has been denied multiple times in the Senate house; it’s that a voice has been further shut down in the house on countless times, having also been by seating arrangement relegated to a section of the house where she could barely be heard or seen, all because, according to the one that alleges, she wasn’t willing to “make” the presiding officer “happy”.
 
Shameful story. Arụ ! 
 
Not everyone who follows these trends pays attention to the little details. Therefore, a lot of people may not understand that by the orders of the Senate, certain uncouth behaviors would put you to the knife and perhaps Natasha had been guilty of breaching house rules. Hence, how the majority of the public perceives the matter in summary is that a beautiful and outspoken woman in the Senate alleged sexual assaults against the Senate President, who in response, suspended her for Six Months. 
 
This is a very sensitive issue, and should’ve been treated with much more wisdom to avoid setting a bad precedent for our society, a society that should encourage more women to speak up. A society that should encourage more women to take active public service roles, etc. If this can happen to a Senator, what more of the common woman?

A very bad image for the nation. 
 
Today is International Women’s Day, and I am very glad to write about these issues.
 
In my opinion, I think:
 

1. Rather than hastily pass punitive measures on Sen. Natasha for her breaching of the house rules, a well-meaning leader should step aside in the light of the allegation and public outcry, for the interest of sanity and peace. 
2. ⁠If a court order demanded that the house should pend the decisions of the house on Natasha’s “ungentle-womanly” behaviors in the house, the order should’ve been respected as it’s in light with Section 6 of the grundnorm. (Yes, I understand the principles of Separation of Powers)
3. ⁠The disciplinary House Committee should’ve known that, if the accusations on Sen. Natasha against her actions were met with her allegations on the Presiding Officer for sexual assault, it would be really unfair to take one decision before the other. Sen. Natasha having been suspended, apparently makes it very difficult, or almost impossible, to win any case against the Senate President. 
4. ⁠What about the entire people of Kogi Central who have now been shut down for six months?
5. ⁠In the face of the allegations against sexual assault, we must not be too quick to conclude that it happened or didn’t happen. As much as they might appear to be blackmail against the Senate President, following the sequence of drama, the sexual assaults could actually have happened. I really hope the investigations are duly carried out.
6. ⁠Public servants must learn to adhere to rules and principles that guide their offices, as they’re examples to the rest of the society: Natasha a.) should’ve put out the allegations at the earliest times after she experienced the “assaults”; b.) maintained decorum and orderliness in the Red Chamber, and ensured all her acts are in accordance with the house rules for conduct; c.) apologized for her misconducts, while still maintaining her grounds on the sexual assaults; d.) should attract compassion of the public despite her bad behaviors, because she’s only human and prone to errors, and of course, when someone is nursing pain and anger, their actions can be extraneous and difficult to contain.
    
   “This injustice will not be sustained”, the last words of the Kogi Central Senator before her expungement from the House of Senate will haunt everyone who thinks straight.
    
   I ended the piece in a few words, if you don’t react in the face of injustice, one day e go reach your turn and you go see as e dey pepper for chest !!!

Happy International Women’s Day.

Be bold and be graceful.

• Hon. Barr. Lota