Abuja, Nigeria — Suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has claimed that her removal from the Senate was not due to a seating row, but a calculated political maneuver by Senate President Godswill Akpabio aimed at punishing her for rejecting alleged corrupt demands.
Speaking during a revealing interview with journalist Adeola Fayehun on YouTube, Natasha disclosed that while she once shared a cordial rapport with Akpabio—partly due to his personal ties with her husband—their relationship soured when she resisted pressure to compromise her integrity.
“The seat argument is just a cover-up,” she declared. “What really happened was that I invoked a Matter of Privilege under Chapter 4, Item 9b of the Senate Rules. It deserved immediate attention, but instead of allowing due process, the Senate President cut me off, ordered me out, and directed the Clerk to draft a suspension letter. That response was premeditated—this was not a spontaneous decision.”
Natasha condemned the unilateral manner in which her suspension was enforced, describing it as both unlawful and humiliating. “He treated me like an errant staff member in his personal residence, not a duly elected senator,” she said.
She also revealed that her suspension came just a day after submitting a formal petition to the Senate against what she described as unethical conduct by leadership. “That ethics report they used against me was a smokescreen. The real reason was retaliation. I spoke out against misconduct, and I was silenced immediately after.”
As former Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Natasha recounted being approached for what was described as a “progress report” — a phrase she later learned was code for delivering financial or political kickbacks. She said Akpabio directed her to another senior senator, who made it clear that she was expected to funnel money or employment slots from oil-related agencies to Senate leadership.
“I was told bluntly to pressure the Minister of Petroleum or the Executive Secretary to make provisions for the Senate President,” she said. “That’s not governance — that’s corruption, and I refused to be part of it.”
Natasha revealed that her refusal triggered persistent tension with Akpabio. “I told him to his face I wouldn’t cooperate. He said, ‘Then you’re not fit to chair a committee.’ That’s when I realized this had nothing to do with my work—it was about returning illicit benefits.”
She concluded by alleging that such coercion is rampant, with many senators quietly submitting to political ‘godfathers’ who dominate budget processes and influence appointments. “The Senate has become a stage for scripted performances,” she said. “What I went through, many others are enduring in silence.”
By Taiwo Olatinwo | June 2, 2025
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