The Nigerian Senate witnessed a fresh wave of controversy as Ekiti South Senator, Yemi Adaramodu, openly criticized his colleague from Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over what he deemed an unnecessary public display of affection during Wednesday’s plenary.
The moment that caught his attention? Natasha stepping into the chamber with a kiss from her husband, High Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan.
This dramatic episode followed Natasha’s submission of a sexual harassment petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio just a day before. She accused him of abuse of office and deliberately obstructing her legislative duties, a claim Akpabio vehemently denied. At the plenary, he firmly stated, “I do not harass women.”
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions wasted no time in dismissing Natasha’s petition, declaring it “dead on arrival.” But Adaramodu took things a step further during an appearance on Channels Television, where he strongly criticized Natasha’s conduct.
“This is bewildering… like I was watching all the clips, it’s quite very sickening and pathetic… when I saw my colleague and sister (Natasha Akpoti) entering with a kiss, it made me look back at when we were acting in this kind of entertainment in primary school that is this where we are still? So, don’t let me go there,” he said.
He went on to question her actions, asking, “Solidarity over what? Over internal matters in the Senate? It is legal but it’s socially and politically wrong. It doesn’t mean that all legal things are good for adults to act in public.”
Dismissing the incident as mere theatrics, Adaramodu remarked, “This is just an episode of content creation and the content has been created. That is part of the skits of the contents being created by our colleague. Now we are saying that laws should not be obeyed anymore.”
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He further pointed out what he saw as contradictions in Natasha’s stance, adding, “Are we saying that when one of us, man or woman, breaches the law we should overlook it… now we’re talking about a grievous breach and infraction against the rules and orders of the Senate. And today, where our sister said over her dead body she would not go to the other seat, she was there today to raise a point of order and present a petition to the Senate today.”
Emphasizing the importance of Senate rules, he concluded, “It means that she knew that Order 6 was to be obeyed. It means that what happened on February 20 was a serious, omnipotent and very powerful infraction against the Senate.”
As tensions rise, this unfolding political drama leaves many wondering what next?