Any woman who wants to reach the pinnacle of Nigerian politics is expected to work harder than her male counterparts, genuflect before them, and pay obeisance.
There is no denying the fact that misogyny and sexism are deeply rooted in Nigerian culture and they manifest in many ways and forms. You see it in academia and the power play in the boardroom of many corporate entities. However, there is no place or profession in Nigeria where they are more pronounced than in Nigerian politics. The nation’s political landscape is a perilous and treacherous terrain, where only men can flex their political muscles. The system is designed to shut out women. Any woman who wants to reach the pinnacle of Nigerian politics is expected to work harder than her male counterparts, genuflect before them, and pay obeisance.
On Tuesday, after six months of suspension and political ostracism, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, returned to the Nigerian Senate. His return is the climax of months of legal battles, political rivalry and witch-hunting. The events and occurrences that characterised her suspension from the Red Chamber highlight the struggle of women and underscore the unpleasant and abhorrent treatment that women, especially those who defy the male-dominated establishment, are subjected to.
Senator Natasha’s political rise is not an easy and smooth adventure. It is a story of tears, blood and sweat. He had to surmount challenges and brave odds that would have sunk many men and ended their political careers even before they began. Many obstacles and impediments were designed and placed in her path to ensure that her senatorial ambition is not realised. She was blocked from campaigning, and her posters and billboards were destroyed by her political opponents, who controlled the machinery of government in the state. A few days before the election day a massive trench was dug on the road that led to her senatorial district to stop the needed sensitive materials from getting to the area where they would be used for voting. A dogged and tenacious Natasha mobilised his supporters and fixed the road before the next morning which was election day.
She lost the February 2023 senatorial election to Abubakar Sadiku Ohere. Displeased by the outcome of the election, she challenged the results at the tribunal, and in September of the same year, the tribunal declared the rightful winner of the election. The tribunal ruled that her votes were deliberately reduced in some local government areas while those of her main challenger were increased. She was eventually sworn in as a member of the Senate in December 2023.
What she did not know was that the nerve-wracking challenges and vehement opposition she encountered on her way to the Senate would be nothing compared to what she would face when she got there. In March, she was suspended from the Senate after a seat reallocation row in the Senate triggered a chain of events that included her disclosure of why the Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, was victimising her.
Following the seat arrangement row ruckus, Natasha, in an explosive interview on Arise TV in February she alleged that she was being persecuted and treated unfairly by the Senate president because she rejected his sexual advances. Natasha approached the court to challenge her suspension by the Senate. On July 4, the Federal High Court ruled that the suspension of Natasha was “excessive” and illegal, ordering her immediate reinstatement by the statement. But despite the court ruling, the Senate refused to recall Senator Natasha. She was blocked from entering the red chamber and resuming legislative duties on her return to the Senate.
On September 4, Senator Natasha completed her six-month suspension. One would have expected that the road should now be cleared and the hurdle in her path removed for her return to the senate, having served out her suspension, but that is not to be, opening another episode in the long-drawn saga. The National Assembly acting clerk, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, in a letter dated September 4, 2025, acknowledged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s notification of her intended return on September 4, the date she claimed marked the end of her suspension. According to the Senate, Natasha’s six-month suspension subsists pending the outcome of a Court of Appeal case instituted against the Senate by Akpoti-Uduaghan.
On Tuesday, September 24, a video emerged showing the Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly unsealing the office of the embattled senator indicating her imminent return to the Senate. The federal lawmakers are currently on recess and the reopening of her office will enable Akpoti-Uduaghan to be in the hallowed chamber upon resumption on 7th October, 2025. A defiant Akpoti-Uduaghan has also said she is not going to apologise to anyone as she owes no one an apology after the injustice that was meted out to her.
Her return to the hallowed chamber isn’t just a victory over persecution and oppression, but a story of what can be achieved through the sheer display of courage, resilience and tenacity in the face of intimidation and victimisation. The courage she showed during the ordeal saw her survive a sham recall that was orchestrated to remove her permanently from the Senate. It remains to be seen if the saga with the Senate president will force her to change how she approaches her legislative duties or she will stick to her vocal and vociferous style. Her daring, unapologetic and outspoken style, while hailed by change-seeking and reform-minded citizens, runs counter to norms and conventions at a Senate known for rule-bending, shady compromise and backroom horse-trading.
It may not be long before she finds herself on a collision course with the leadership of the male-dominated Senate if she retains her feisty disposition. As Natasha returns to the red chamber, she faces a conundrum: retaining her bold voice and doggedness without triggering face-offs that could hamper her legislative agenda.
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