The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has told the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to apologise to the Senate, adding that by so doing, her six-month suspension might be reconsidered.
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The senate president, who spoke on Thursday during a plenary session, stated that the Senate remains open to reconciliation but warned that the senator’s approach to the issue could discourage political leaders from appointing women to top positions in the future.
Additionally, Akpabio noted that her public actions, including speaking about the matter on media platforms, had misrepresented the facts.
He also expressed concern that Akpoti-Uduaghan had taken the issue beyond the Senate by seeking intervention from international bodies.
According to him, the matter could have been handled internally within the Senate or through the judiciary, where she had already taken legal action.
Akpabio reassured that the Senate remains committed to supporting women in leadership roles.
He pointed out that all four female senators in the 10th Assembly currently serve as committee chairpersons, which he described as a deliberate effort to ensure women’s representation in the legislature.
He further stated that the Senate operates under the laws of Nigeria and has internal mechanisms to address disputes among lawmakers.
He urged Akpoti-Uduaghan to reconsider her approach and take advantage of the opportunity to resolve the issue within the Senate.
“We are still open to making sure that we remain in peace. We left room for her to recognise that what she is doing may even frighten a lot of men in future from even appointing or selecting female deputy governors.
“You can imagine if somebody like Kamala Harris, the immediate past vice president of the United States, were to go on CNN to say that President Joe Biden sexually assaulted her by shaking her hand or by holding her hand to show her the office of the president. That automatically means that nobody will pick another woman as vice president.
“But I have four daughters, so I want to plead with politicians to still give my four children a chance. Do not take the action of one person and punish others,” he said.
