The price of speaking out: Senator Natasha Akpoti
- MJKG
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 26
We have all seen the headlines. Natasha Akpoti vs. Godswill Akpabio. But beyond the news articles, beyond the political theatre—what really happened?
On December 8, 2023, Senator President Godswill Akpabio allegedly sexually harassed Senator Natasha Akpoti. She detailed the experience in an interview with BBC, describing inappropriate remarks, and lingering touches.
She told a BBC reporter: “There was a time I forgot to wear my ring because I rushed to work. And there were about five senators there. And Akpabio said ‘oh Natasha, you are not wearing your ring… is this an invitation to treat? There was another time he made a statement like ‘Natasha, your husband is really enjoying. It looks like you’d be able to make good movements with your waist’.”[1] Such comments from people we voted to represent us in the Nigerian National Assembly, with their very own Wives and Children?
After all that, Natasha said, “they (other senators) all laughed at his comments.” She added that Akpabio would “squeeze my hands in a very suggestive way”. “We women, we know what it means when a man squeezes our hands in a suggestive way,”[2] she added. Some say that the problem with our Afrikan governments is the system, when in truth, the problem is them – they just don’t know it. One might ask: how did they come to their conclusion about Akpoti's case? Was it based on empathy, the lack of evidence, or the classic 'a Senator like Akpabio would never do such a thing'? Now, is the problem the system or the way we've been taught to think?
Natasha added in her public statement that: “I, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stand firm in my resolve to never apologise for speaking my truth.”[3] She said: “The desperation to silence me is palpable, but I will not be intimidated.”[4] She spoke up, and in doing so, she crossed an invisible line.
Her petition was dismissed almost immediately—on the flimsiest of technicalities. To be transparent, Akpoti signed her own petition. Senate rules explicitly prohibit a petitioner from being a signatory to their own complaint, a critical procedural violation. This technical error provided the Senate committee with grounds to dismiss her case outright. As a result, the Senate Ethics Committee rejected her complaint, preventing any formal investigation into her allegations.
Then, when she refused to back down, when she insisted on accountability, she was not just ignored—she was punished.
On March 6, 2025, Akpoti was suspended for six months.[5] Her crime? Refusing to sit down. Refusing to be silent. Refusing to be erased. In the words of the Senate’s Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Akpoti was suspended for ‘misconduct’.[6]
The official justification - Refusing to sit in her assigned seat, speaking without recognition, showing disruptive behaviour, and making aggressive remarks against the leadership of the Senate. But let’s be honest: this was about power, about showing who controls the narrative and who is allowed to speak.
A woman challenging the hierarchy of male leadership in Nigeria is dangerous.
Natasha has made it clear: her fight is not just about her. It is about every Nigerian woman who has been dismissed, humiliated, and silenced.
And what is the response? Senator Sunday Karimi calls her actions an “embarrassment to Nigeria.”[7] Not Akpabio’s alleged harassment, not the Senate’s refusal to investigate, but the fact that a woman dared to speak.
Some say, that Akpoti has not produced physical evidence to support her allegations, relying instead on oral testimony. This has weighed heavily in the criticism she faces—her accusers argue that without tangible evidence, her claims are mere words. Once she has evidence, will they suddenly believe her? For the Citizens of Nigeria, believing a woman is the same as saying ‘Nigerian Jollof Rice is bad’. Never in a million years!
This is the cost of challenging power in Nigeria. This is the price of refusing to look away.
For a woman, it’s not just the cost of speaking out—it’s the cost of trying to exist in a world that is designed to silence you. For Natasha Akpoti, in a world where silence is demanded the fight becomes one for every woman's right to be heard.
References
Nigerian Senate is Run Like a cult, BBC News. 19th March 2025. Accessed 24th March 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlypekq35wo
Natasha: I won't apologise to Senate. Daily Trust. 24th March 2025. Accessed 24th March 2025. https://dailytrust.com/natasha-i-wont-apologise-to-senate/#google_vignette
Yahaya Bello saw it coming, says Senator Karimi. Punch. 24th March 2025. Accessed 24th March 2025. https://punchng.com/natasha-yahaya-bello-saw-it-coming-says-senator-karimi/
INEC receives petition to recall senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan. Nigerian Observer. 24th March 2025. Accessed 24th March 2025. https://nigerianobservernews.com/2025/03/inec-receives-petition-to-recall-senator-natasha-akpoti-uduaghan/
~Maryam J-K Gadzama, Chief Editor, 24/25 Committee
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