Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of failing to follow the rules of the upper chamber.
She made this statement while addressing the controversy surrounding the change in seating arrangements in the Senate, which led to an outburst between Senator Natasha and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Kingibe spoke on Arise TV on Friday.
According to her, female senators in the Upper Chamber had remained silent because they did not want to publicly criticise Senator Natasha.
“Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. As women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her, and we were hoping all of this would blow over, as many things do,” Kingibe said.
She further stated, :The Senate is not a place where we should be fighting over trivialities like seating arrangements.”
“This is about the rules of the Senate. If I may point out, other women were moved several times that day. I wasn’t there, but I gathered that several men were also moved,” she added.
Senator Kingibe, who serves as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, acknowledged that although the Senate is not entirely gender-friendly, the situation has improved.
“The truth of the matter is, yes, the Senate is not gender-friendly, but it has improved significantly compared to when we first joined. I must say, when we raise concerns and bring them to the Senate President’s attention, he corrects them.”
“Truly, the Senate can do better than it currently is, but there’s hardly anything being done to us that isn’t also done to male senators. I want women to understand that we must follow the rules of the institutions we choose to enter, and that is the main point of this discussion.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate has concluded plans to probe Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who has vowed to ensure that the proceedings are broadcast live.
The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has insisted that Nigerians have the right to witness the probe.
She was recently referred to the Senate’s Ethics and Disciplinary Committee following her dispute with Senate President Akpabio over seating arrangements in the chamber.
In a statement, she wrote: “Good morning, courageous people of Kogi Central, Kogi State, and Nigeria. This petition came to my notice a few hours ago. As much as I have refrained from publicly commenting on this matter and other occurrences in the Senate under President Akpabio, it is time to break my silence.”
In a more recent development, Senator Natasha has accused Senate President Akpabio of making unwanted advances toward her.
She alleged that she was facing political retaliation for rejecting his advances.
Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that Akpabio had made inappropriate advances toward her and is now using his position to punish her politically.
