The Nigerian Senate was thrown into chaos after Senate President Godswill Akpabio ordered the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan following a heated dispute over seating arrangements during plenary.
The drama began on February 20, 2025, when the Senate leadership announced a reshuffling of seats to reflect new political alignments within the chamber. Senator Natasha, representing Kogi Central, was asked to move to a different seat as part of the re-arrangement. However, she refused to vacate her original position, insisting that she had every right to remain there.
What began as a routine administrative adjustment quickly spiraled into a tense confrontation. Senator Natasha attempted to speak from her former seat, prompting Senate President Akpabio to rule her “out of order” and instruct the Sergeants-at-Arms to remove her from the chamber. Other lawmakers quickly intervened, calming the situation and preventing a physical ejection, but the tension in the chamber was unmistakable.
A few weeks later, on March 6, 2025, the Senate announced her six-month suspension, citing “gross misconduct” — including disobedience to the presiding officer’s order, using un-parliamentary language, and disrupting proceedings. The leadership maintained that the decision had nothing to do with gender or personal grievances.
However, the timing of the suspension raised eyebrows. Senator Natasha had earlier accused Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment, claiming an incident occurred in December 2023. The Senate Ethics Committee dismissed her petition, saying it lacked procedural merit. Many Nigerians, especially women’s groups and civil rights advocates, viewed her suspension as retaliation for speaking out against powerful interests.
Since her suspension, Senator Natasha has vowed to challenge the decision in court, describing it as a violation of her constitutional rights and an attempt to silence a female voice in a male-dominated Senate.
The controversy has since sparked a national conversation about gender representation, political accountability, and fairness in Nigeria’s legislative processes. Critics argue that the Senate’s handling of the issue highlights a growing culture of intolerance toward dissenting voices, especially from women who dare to challenge authority.
Whether this episode will lead to genuine reform or fade into another forgotten political scandal remains to be seen. But one thing is clear — the clash between Akpabio and Natasha has exposed deep cracks within the Nigerian Senate and renewed public scrutiny on how power is exercised in the country’s upper legislative chamber.
