Suspended Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has reignited political tensions after releasing a scathing, satirical apology letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Sunday, April 27, 2025, mocking the sexual harassment allegations that have rocked the Nigerian Senate since March. The drama comes as Akpabio leads Nigeria’s delegation to the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away earlier this month.
The embattled senator, suspended on March 6, 2025, following disputes over new Senate seating arrangements, accused Akpabio of orchestrating her suspension after she allegedly rejected his sexual advances. Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier demanded international intervention at the United Nations Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in New York, calling out systemic abuse and harassment within Nigeria’s legislative chambers.
Tensions escalated when a court gag order barred both Natasha and Akpabio from public commentary pending legal proceedings, yet Akpoti-Uduaghan’s cleverly worded letter, dripping with sarcasm, openly ridiculed what she termed the “ancient art of compliance” and mocked political entitlement in Nigeria’s highest legislative body. Her letter, made public in Abuja, asserted that legislative success in Nigeria often depended not on merit, but personal submission.
Directly addressing Akpabio, Natasha penned, “Forgive this stubborn woman who mistakenly believed that her Senate seat was earned through elections, not erections,” a line now causing a political earthquake across social media, where thousands have rallied in solidarity or outrage, depending on political leanings.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims also allege that her salary was slashed, security details withdrawn, and her parliamentary privileges revoked in retaliation for standing against unwanted advances, a move she described as “punitive measures aimed at silencing women’s resistance in politics.” Despite the court’s warning, her public resistance appears to have emboldened other women’s rights activists preparing legal interventions.
The Senate leadership remains silent on Natasha’s latest ‘apology’, even as political analysts warn that the incident could further damage the public image of the 10th National Assembly, already facing scrutiny over issues of transparency, accountability, and human rights abuses in Nigeria’s democratic process.
Meanwhile, supporters of Senator Natasha have flooded social media using hashtags like #ResistAndRise, #StandWithNatasha, and #EndSexualHarassmentInPolitics, sparking a renewed nationwide conversation on the treatment of women in public office, just as calls grow louder for international agencies to monitor the human rights climate within Nigeria’s political institutions.
