ABUJA/Nigeria: Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has broken her silence over the controversial March 6 suspension from the Nigerian Senate, stating that her removal was not over a mere seating disagreement, but a premeditated move by Senate President Godswill Akpabio to silence her. In a candid interview with Adeola Fayehun on her YouTube channel on Saturday, May 31, 2025, Senator Natasha alleged that her rights as a legislator were trampled upon, and accused Akpabio of acting beyond his powers.
“The impression being pushed out is that I caused a scene because of my seat. That is a lie,” she declared. “I raised a matter of privilege under Chapter 4, Item 9b of the Senate Rules — a provision that requires immediate attention. But Senate President Akpabio cut me off, ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to walk me out, and directed the Clerk to start preparing my suspension letter. That wasn’t a reaction. That was a script already written.”
Natasha revealed that she and Akpabio had once shared a cordial relationship, given his long-standing friendship with her husband. However, she alleged that personal differences and deeper political issues began to surface when she refused to succumb to the Senate President’s alleged demands. “He has no power to suspend any senator on the floor unilaterally. The way he ordered my suspension like I was a staff in his living room, it was not only unlawful, it was degrading. My outburst was a response to what he had already decided to do.”
The senator further alleged that her troubles escalated after she submitted a formal petition against the Senate leadership just a day before her suspension. “I believe my suspension was retaliation. The ethics report they cited was just a cover. I had submitted allegations that rattled the system, and the next day, I was silenced.”
Natasha also opened up on the underlying tensions she faced as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content, accusing Akpabio of demanding a “progress report” which she later learned was a euphemism for financial or political returns. “He laughed and told me to meet a senior senator who explained that I should return money or jobs from my committee engagements to him. I was shocked. When I asked how, I was told to harass agencies — like the Minister of Petroleum or the Executive Secretary — to bring money or jobs for the Senate President. That is corruption, and I refused.”
She said her refusal to comply angered Akpabio and led to constant friction between them. “I told my husband. I told Akpabio himself. I said I couldn’t do that, and he said, ‘Then you’re not fit to chair any committee.’ That’s how I knew this was not about performance — it was about returns.”
Natasha’s explosive revelations also touched on broader concerns within the Senate, alleging that senators are pressured to satisfy unnamed political “fathers,” especially during budget sessions. “Akpabio has turned Senate sittings into comedy shows to distract from real issues. Behind the scenes, there’s pressure, there’s lobbying, there’s coercion. What I faced, many others are quietly enduring.”
While the Senate has yet to respond officially to her claims, Senator Natasha’s testimony has stirred fresh outrage and renewed calls for accountability and reform in the 10th National Assembly.
