Senator Natasha alleges Nigerian Senate operates like a cult

Suspended Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has described the Nigerian Senate as a cult-like institution, alleging that lawmakers are discouraged from expressing dissenting views due to fear of retaliation.

In an interview with the BBC, Akpoti-Uduaghan asserted that her six-month suspension for alleged gross misconduct was simply a move to silence her.

She claimed that the Senate fosters a culture of conformity, where independent opinions are stifled, and lawmakers are pressured to align with the majority rather than challenge decisions.

“I am being victimised. My suspension is a means of silencing me,” she said.

“It was episode after episode, moment after moment. We were at his country home. He was taking me around his house. My husband was walking behind us. He held my hand.

“He then squeezed my hands in a very suggestive way. We women, we know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way.

“And he went, ‘now that you’re in the Senate, I’ll make an opportunity for us to come here and have a good moment’, you know, along that line.”

Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her after a faceoff during plenary last month.

On March 6, she was issued a six-month suspension from the Senate for “gross misconduct” after failing to appear before the Ethics and Privilege committee.

When asked if Akpabio ever made any advances towards her in the chamber or the senate, she said,

“There was a time when I rushed to work forgetting to wear my ring, there were about five senators there. He said, ‘Oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring. Is this an invitation to treat?’ You know, statements like this.”

Reacting to the interview, the Senate’s Deputy Chief Whip, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, told the BBC that Akpabio never made sexual advances or inappropriate comments toward Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Nwaebonyi also rejected the Kogi Central Senator’s claim that the senate was trying to silence her.

“Senator Natasha’s legislative activities show this claim is not true,” he said.