Natasha Angry Over Removal As Committee Chair – Akpabio’s Aide

The Special Adviser and a Consultant to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Natasha, on Communications and

Strategy, Ken Okolugbo, has claimed that the tension between his principal and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan in

the Senate is premised on anger and disgruntlement over certain issues.

The Senate suspended Senator Natasha for six months on Thursday for breaking its rules due to the disagreement

with Akpabio.

According to Okolugbo, Natasha’s pent-up resentment at her dismissal as the Senate Committee on Local Content’s

chairman exacerbated the seat arrangement dispute that pitted the senator from Kogi Central against the Senate

president.

“The fact of the matter was that her seat was removed, and there was already bottled-up anger because she was

removed from the local content committee,” Okolugbo said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

The dispute, which started in the Red Chambers with seat arrangement, escalated, with Natasha accusing Akpabio of

sexual harassment, a claim the latter has denied.

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This dispute has also led the Senate to suspend Senator Natasha for six months on Thursday for violation of its rules.

“That the Senate do suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for her total violation of the Senate

Standing Rules (2023 as amended) for bringing the presiding officer and the entire Nigerian Senate to public

opprobrium,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on Thursday while reading out the recommendations of the

Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct probing her claims.

Despite the suspension of the Kogi senator, Akpabio’s aide believes that it is not late to resolve the issue, saying that

all Natasha needs to do is to pen an apology.

“The reality of it all is that all Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan needs to do is to apologise, a written apology. She has been

given that window; anybody that is deceiving her to the contrary is just ruining her political career,” Okolugbo said.

The Senate committee recommended Senator Natasha for suspension, after she was found guilty of violation of the

Senate’s rules after its investigation.

Following her suspension, the Kogi Central lawmaker was escorted out of the chambers by the Sergeant-At-Arms, but

before she left, she declared that “this injustice would not be sustained.