Ireti Kingibe Accuses Natasha Akpoti-Nduaghan of Ignoring Senate Rules

• Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan protested a Senate seat reassignment, citing privilege denial, leading to her referral for disciplinary review

• Senator Ireti Kingibe urged adherence to Senate rules, emphasizing institutional decorum over disputes like seating arrangements

Senator Ireti Kingibe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, has accused her colleague, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, of not following Senate rules.

Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory, made the statement during an interview on Arise TV on Friday.

The controversy began when a dispute over a seating reassignment led to a confrontation between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Akpabio reassigned Natasha’s seat, but she refused to move, claiming her privileges were denied. The situation escalated when she raised her hand to speak but was not recognized because she was not seated in her new position.

Natasha’s protest led to a unanimous Senate decision to refer her to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review. Later, during an Arise TV interview, she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Responding to the allegations, Senator Kingibe stated that Natasha was not following Senate rules. She added that the three other female senators remained silent on the seating controversy because they did not want to criticize Natasha publicly.

“Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. As women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her. We were hoping this would blow over, as many things do,” Kingibe said.

She emphasized that the Senate is not a place for disputes over minor issues like seating arrangements. According to her, Natasha was not the only senator affected by the reassignment, as several male and female lawmakers also had their seats moved.

“This is about Senate rules. I gathered that other women were moved several times, and even some men were also affected,” Kingibe explained.

While acknowledging that the Senate has not always been gender-friendly, she noted that improvements have been made. She stressed the importance of adhering to institutional rules and urged women to follow them.

“Yes, the Senate is not fully gender-friendly, but it has improved significantly. Women must understand that we need to follow the rules of the institutions we choose to be part of,” Kingibe concluded.