BETWEEN NATASHA’S COMEDY OF DISTRACTION AND THE FINGERPRINTS OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDISTS: WHY NIGERIAN SENATE PRESIDENT REMAINS IN HIS HONOR

 

By Edet Okpo

With Senator Natasha Apoti-Uduaghan's antics in the Senate collapsing like a park of cards, it is expected that she has learnt her lessons beyond the shows she has put up. It is now more obvious that she was simply using the ploy to launder her ego and seek a celebrity status. Too bad. 

If her cohort of advisers really loved her, they should first have advised her to go for tutelage as a trainee-comedian under one of the seasoned comedians in Nollywood, Nigeria’s bourgeoning film industry of all-comers and not to contest to become a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.!

Alternatively, lady Natasha herself should have engaged some smart miscreants in motor parks in nearby Nyanya or Kwakwalada to train her on how to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create contents to entertain market women in Kogi Central District, her Constituency, which she had abandoned in preference for fake dramas of no consequence in the Hallowed Chamber. 

Indeed, if Natasha’s out-of-the-gutter imaginable allegations were perhaps against a Casanova or some cheap figures around the National Assembly, there possibly could have been the temptation for some gullible minds to believe her. But for her to have gone berserk in her psychotic delusions and impudence to use her known trademark pattern in trying to sprinkle mud on the immaculate white garments of the highly revered Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator  Dr. Godswill Obot Akpabo , an impeccable character and eminently qualified global citizen and leader, was most unfortunate. 

This recent drama in the Nigerian Senate orchestrated by Lady Natasha clearly portrays her as someone with distorted psychological chemistry who is in need of intense prayers and deliverance.  She must pray and also work hard to stop her past from continuing to interfere with her present, making her a laughing stuck on national and international television screens. Of course, there’ve been allegations of how her previous attempts to use the same pattern had failed to work against Senator Dino Melaye, Reno Omokri, and former governor Feyemi. Or, are we to conclude that

this fashionista and play-girl may never change? 

From the very beginning, the questions have been: How has the Senate President victimized a greenhorn Senator whom he had appointed Chairman of a juicy committee? How could he have sexually harassed Natasha? The other day Natasha offered a most laughable response in an interview: "Akpabio sexually abused me in his house in Uyo". The next time she quoted Akpabio as saying: "If you make me feel good, you'll be getting more privileges". In her book of mischiefs, that amounted to "sexual harassment". ?

Even if Akpabio were to have used those words, the whole world knows how jovial and courteous Senator Godswill Akpabio typically can be in his best moments. But how does that translate into sexual harassment so grievous that a sane person must bring it to hallowed  Chamber, a place as the floor of the National assembly? Natasha certainly knew what she was aiming at – cheap relevance. Instead of attracting such from her core mandate in the Senate, she thought she could use the Senate as a launch pad. Too bad for her.

Many senators have confirmed that Natasha was keeping a seething malice against Senator Akpabio for unjustifiable reasons and therefore must have been looking for the slightest opportunity to explode. The day perhaps came when on arriving in the senate chamber, she noticed that her nameplate had been removed and her seat reassigned. Dispassionate findings by this writer amongst former and serving senators have revealed that there was nothing too strange or unusual about such arrangement in the Senate. A former Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani, has argued that such can happen anytime depending on exigencies.

But that was all Natasha needed. Caught in the fire of her fruitless ego trip and cherry picking, she played dangerously to the gallery, disrupted plenary, and rejected her assigned seat with weak reference to Order 10. 

She defiantly defied Akpabio's repeated orders and theatrically caused a storm in a teacup, snubbing every voice of caution and decorum. Subsequently, under the pretext of her spurious theory of marginalization and suppression of her voice, Natasha smartly saw in the moment an opportunity to open the floodgates of premeditated attacks and offloaded her murky mind on the inimitable parsonage  and exemplary character of the Senate President. 

Even then, in spite of the commotion, Akpabio being who is known to be by nature and idiosyncrasy, a celebrated cheerleader and incurable charismatic pacifist, kept his cool. It could be argued that the matter most likely would have been buried there and then had Natasha showed a token of remorse. That was on February 20, 2025. 

But she threatened the more. Whereas her first petition was rejected on grounds of procedural incongruities, on Thursday, Mach 6, 2025, she resubmitted her harassment petition to the senate, still emphasizing on how Senator Akpabio tried to sexually harass her. That  day, for paparazzi, she brought her husband, Chief Emmanuel Uduaghsn, to the Senate and staged a showpiece kissing that failed to amuse anybody. Yet, in her I-too-sabi-mentality, she had signed her own petition by herself. An intolerable anomaly by senate rules. She was thoroughly roasted alive in the superior fireworks of the ever articulate Senate Leader, Senator Bamidele Opeyemi. Case closed. 

All these antics, it was sooner revealed, were mere window dressing for Natasha to get at Senator  Akpabio. The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Peter Nwaebonyi, reminiscently traced the root cause of Natasha’s dramatics to an earlier committee reshuffle by the Senate President, that apparently did not go well with Natasha.

According to the Ebonyi North senator in an interview granted Channels Television's Daily Sunrise Programme, Natasha had earlier given away hints to "disgrace"  Senator Akpabio. She was said to have been dissatisfied after being reassigned from chairing the senate committee on local content and being moved to the diaspora committee. Just that.

Now, the Sword of Damocles has dropped mercilessly on her head. Her praise singers  and drumbeaters have all deserted her. She is running from pole to pole looking for intercessors and public sympathy. Lady Natasha has reached the Rubicon.

It is no longer news that the Senate has handed a six-month suspension on her. Details of the suspension include that her office shall be locked for the period; her salaries shall be suspended; and she will be bared from accessing the National Assembly premisies, etc. Good riddance for bad rubbish!   He who asks for equity must do so with celan hands. Will that cool her head? Who knows?

The decision  was reached after a majority vote, endorsing the recommendations from the Senator  Nedo Imasuen-led Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct. The senate also voted against reviewing the decision of the suspension until the six-month period shall have elapsed or she openly apologizes. And to appeal the decision, she will have to tender a written apology 

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, herself a ranking former federal lawmaker, has defended the Senate, describing the Senate as a mature institution. Speaking on the eve of the 2025 International Women Day Anniversary, the President’s wife said: "We shouldn’t be hearing things like that. The senate is a mature chamber and should be treated with respect. Its an honour to be in that place. The summary is that Nátasha must face the wrath of the extant rules of the Senate against such brash indecency; the boomerang consequences of her insolence. Moral and civil law don’t have sympathy for characters like her.

Wife of the Senate President, Her Excellency,  Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, has also spoken. "It is unfortunate that Natasha has said what she said, an I'm sure she knew she had lied. She shoudnt take that route. If she has a problem that needs to be solved, it can be solved without maligning somebody.

It doesn't matter that former Senate President, Bukola Saraki has tried to add sentiments to the matter. Like former education Minister, Ezekwesili, Saraki had suggested that Akpabio should step down. What a  show of hypocrisy from Saraki, the enfant terrible! They both have forgotten that Nátasha‘s  miscalculated effrontery was against the Senate as an institution, and her allegations against Akpabio lacked merit. 

Even as reactions by patriotic and objective observers have shown, not many Nigerians are surprised or can easily be deceived by the pranks of the emerging phenomenon orchestrated Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in the Nigerian Senate.  Nigerians cannot also be fooled by the rising incidence of this malaise and the huge investments by their facilitators especially those who made several attempts to be President of Nigeria, but couldn’t have their dreams materialized. 

What rather worries greater number of Nigerians is why it is the very politicians who are seeking to govern the country that are encouraging and funding this counter-productive adventurism, although they may hide behind the scene and deploy the services of surrogates and syndicates in the media community. Because these political desperadoes and commandoes of conquered battalions pathologically see the rising political profile, unquestionable democratic credentials of Senator Dr. Godswill Akpabio  and the robust goodwill He is enjoying from the majority of Nigerians as the President of the Nigerian Senate as a threat to their 2027 Political ambitions.

Smearing the hard-earned image of Senator Godswill Akpabio who has unblemished record of dedicated public service and also indulging in character assassination and misinformation for cheap political scores is a proof to that lady Natasha is on a macabre dance. It is unfortunate that lady Natasha has elevated politics to fine art. 

As a patriotic and objective Nigerian supporting and championing the cause of good governance, I have taken special interest in this matter because of its high propensity to deceive and mislead the credulous segment of the citizenry. 

I am not unconscious of the novelties advancing technology has brought to the world. Nor can I easily be carried away by the innovativeness of smart Nigerians when political interests seem to clash. 

As it is already obvious, there can be no pretensions that the despicable action of Natasha may have been sponsored by those who sees nothing good in Bola Tinubu led administration.

But has Natasha on her ego trip soon forgotten that Akpabio is a former two-time commissioner in his State; a former two-time governor; minister of Niger Delta; former Senate Minority Leader and now incumbent senator and president of the 10th Senate.? Only rare men of tested character and outstanding can come this far. All along, Akpabio had never been involved in any scandal with the womenfolk. But now, Natasha, a toddler in leadership still learning the ropes, is seeking in vain to tarnish that hard earned record of Senator Godswill Akpabio. It is nov possible, lady Natasha.

Let's hope Natasha has learnt her lessons. There is no need to make it a gender war. This drama may be an indication to the organnc flaws in our leadership recruitment system  where mediocrity overtakes meritocracy. In my opinion, Natasha is simply taking advantage of Akpabio's jovial nature and inclusive disposition  as a farher-figure and presiding officer of the Senate. If the embattled senator does not know Akpabio's place in Nigeria's leadership history, other Nigerians do, with pride and unsolicited gratitude.

* Edet Okpo is a media and Image Management Consultant and Editor-In-Chief of The Scorecard Magazine ( a medium that promotes transparency, accountability and impact in governance)