By Rita Ugo

suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has broken her silence over the controversial March 6 suspension from the Senate, stressing that her removal was not over a mere seating disagreement, but a premeditated move by Senate President Godswill Akpabio to silence her.

In an interview with Adeola Fayehun on her YouTube channel recently, she alleged that her rights as a legislator were trampled upon and accused Akpabio of acting beyond his powers.

“The impression being pushed out is that I caused a scene because of my seat. That is a lie. I raised a matter of privilege under Chapter 4, item 9(b) of the Senate Rules, a provision that requires immediate attention but the Senate President cut me off, ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to walk me out, and directed the Clerk to start preparing my suspension letter. That wasn’t a reaction; that was a script already written,” she stated.

She revealed that she and Akpabio had once shared a cordial relationship, given his long-standing friendship with her husband.

However, she alleged that personal differences and deeper political issues began to surface when she refused to succumb to the Senate President’s alleged demands. “He has no powers to suspend any senator on the floor unilaterally. The way he ordered my suspension like I was a staff in his living room was not only unlawful, but also degrading. My outburst was a response to what he had already decided to do.”

She further alleged that her troubles escalated after she submitted a formal petition against the Senate leadership just a day before her suspension. “I believe my suspension was a retaliation. The ethics report they cited was just a cover. I had submitted allegations that rattled the system and the next day, I was silenced,” she said.

The Kogi senator also opened up on the underlying tensions she faced as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Local Content, accusing Akpabio of demanding a ‘progress report,” which she later learnt was a euphemism for financial or political returns. “He laughed and told me to meet a senior senator, who explained that I should return money or jobs from my committee’s engagements to him. I was shocked. When I asked how, I was told to harass agencies, like the Minister of Petroleum or the Executive Secretary, to bring money or jobs for the Senate President. That is corruption, and I refused,” she alleged.

She also alleged that her refusal to comply angered Akpabio and that led to constant friction between them. “I told my husband. I told Akpabio himself. I said I couldn’t do that, and he said, ‘Then you’re not fit to chair any committee.’ That’s how I knew this was not about performance, it was about returns,” she added.

Natasha’s revelations also touched on broader concerns within the Senate, where she alleged that senators were pressured to satisfy unnamed political ‘fathers,’ especially during budget sessions. “Akpabio has turned Senate sittings into comedy shows to distract from real issues. Behind the scenes, there’s pressure, there’s lobbying, there’s coercion. What I faced, many others are quietly enduring,” she revealed.

While the Senate has yet to respond officially to her claims, her testimony has stirred fresh outrage and renewed calls for accountability and reforms in the 10th National Assembly.