•Natasha and Akpabio
The federal government yesterday said it would intervene in the leadership crisis of the National Assembly after the suspension of the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“We’re engaging all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy,” the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Iman Suleiman-Ibrahim, told State House correspondents during the Meet-the-Press Programme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Her comments came barely 24 hours after the 10th Senate suspended Natasha for six months, reports Saturday PUNCH.
The lawmaker had submitted a petition alleging she had been sexually harassed by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Natasha first raised the alarm on February 28.
However, the Senate dismissed her petition on procedural grounds as the ethics committee recommended her suspension, saying she had brought ridicule to the upper chamber.
Reacting to the development, the women affairs minister said, “It’s an unfortunate incident that should not happen. In the last Assembly, we had nine senators who were women.
“We don’t want to lose any woman member in the Senate or decrease in number.
“We’re going to be brokering peace. We’ll engage all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy.”
Suleiman-Ibrahim said she was emboldened by the Senate President’s openness to talk.
“I was at the National Assembly yesterday, at the Senate where we marked the International Women’s Day.
“The last thing the Senate president said was that ‘we’re open to broker peace.’
“So, we’re going to be the intermediary between the two parties to see that we broker peace; for peace to reign, and then we’ll continue to sensitise everyone so that we learn to work better together as women and men.”
Coalition threatens showdown
But some women groups yesterday rejected the suspension of Natasha, describing it as an assault on democracy and a deliberate attempt to silence women in leadership.
The groups include a coalition under the Coalition for Women in Governance and the Women in Management, Business, and Public Service.
The coalition threatened to mobilise women for a massive protest if the decision was not reversed.
Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, one of the coalition leaders, Zainab Mohammed, condemned the Senate’s action, calling it a blatant disregard for the rule of law.
She noted that the suspension defied a court order explicitly halting any disciplinary action against Natasha, making the move illegal and a direct attack on democratic principles.
Mohammed said, “The Senate’s decision is not just an injustice against one woman; it is an attack on the democratic rights of the people she represents. This is a dangerous precedent that sends a message to every Nigerian who dares to challenge power.”
She demanded the immediate reinstatement of Natasha and called on the Senate to respect judicial authority by reversing its decision.
“The true test of democracy is not in words but in action. We will not stand by while democracy is undermined. We will take to the streets if necessary to ensure justice prevails,” she added.
The President and Founder of the Pan African Young Women Development Initiative, Dr Jophia Gupar, stated that the issue transcended Natasha as an individual and affected all women.
She criticised the three female senators for failing to support Natasha.
Gupar said, “It is not about Natasha; it is about Nigerian women. The implication of what these senators are doing is discouraging our women from speaking out when they are harassed.
“I feel sorry for the three other women in the Senate. If they like, let them keep quiet, but what you sow is what you will reap. These senators should know they have daughters. There is the law of karma.”
WIMBIZ also demanded that the authorities should take action on the suspension of Natasha.
In a statement yesterday, the association expressed concerns about the incident, which it said highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by women in leadership across Nigeria.
WIMBIZ said, “First, we are troubled by reports of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan—a female senator facing severe institutional pushback after raising concerns about misconduct. She has not been given a fair hearing, and no investigation has been conducted as far as public knowledge is concerned. But she has been met with punitive measures that effectively silence her and compromise her ability to serve.”
While demanding action, the association called for a fair hearing for Natasha.
WIMBIZ said as the world marks International Women’s Day on Saturday, under the theme ‘Accelerate Action,’ there was a need for urgent action toward achieving gender equality, addressing the slow pace of progress, and empowering women and girls worldwide.
13,000 sign petition against Akpabio
Meanwhile, over 13,000 supporters of Natasha have called on Akpabio to step down for investigation.
The petition, which started on Wednesday on change.org, had gathered 13,046 signatures as of the time of filing this report on Friday.
The originator of the petition, the Purple Women Foundation, founded by Ireti Bakare-Yusuf, demanded justice for Natasha.
“We, the Purple Women Foundation, demand that Senate President Godswill Akpabio steps down immediately to allow for a fair and unbiased investigation into the sexual harassment allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan!
“Immediate stepping down of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, transparent and impartial investigation and justice and accountability: for survivors of sexual harassment, let’s come together to demand justice and create a safe and respectful environment for all,” it read.
Akpabio’s kinsmen seek Natasha’s recall
In a related development, some kinsmen of the Senate President, under the umbrella body of Afe Annang, a foremost socio-cultural organisation of the Annang nation in Akwa Ibom State, said the six-month suspension of the Kogi Central senator was not enough punishment.
The group said Natasha denigrated the Senate by her behaviour.
While speaking with journalists during a media interaction in Abak Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday, the Itai Afe Annang, His Majesty Obong Blaise Awakama, who was flanked by other elders of the Annang extraction, said the embattled senator should be recalled by her constituents.
“We are not satisfied with only suspension; I think she should be recalled by her constituents and advised properly.
“I don’t think that type of conduct, any Nigerian, let alone a woman, should carry it to the Senate. It’s not enough to be suspended, I think her constituents should recall and give her proper advice and orientation and be replaced by some other person,” he said.
Emphasising that every ethnic group is represented in the Senate, the elders warned that no female senator should be used as a front to defame the Senate President.
They warned against any plot to remove Akpabio from office, adding that they would not fold their arms to see such a plot succeed.
They also emphasised that a false claim of sexual harassment should not be used as an instrument of political harassment by political antagonists.
