Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, has spoken out about the challenges she has faced in the house.
She made the clarification a day after her confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The senator claimed that she has been denied several privileges and excluded from important activities, including international events, as part of an alleged plot to undermine her work.
Speaking during an interview on Brekete Family, a popular Human Rights Radio and Television program in Abuja, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she couldn’t hold it anymore leading to a heated exchange with Akpabio during Thursday’s Senate plenary session.
The dispute began when the senator discovered that her seat had been reassigned without prior notice. Refusing to accept the change, she challenged the decision, leading to a tense standoff with the Senate leadership.
During the interview, Senator Natasha expressed frustration over what she described as deliberate attempts to silence her.
“My attention was drawn to the fact that you were discussing this issue on your program today, and I truly appreciate your concern,” she said.
“I have been going through a lot, and I’ve kept quiet because I didn’t want my words to be misinterpreted or twisted into a lawsuit against me.”
She revealed that her exclusion from official activities started after a nightclub incident last year. Recall that in July last year, Akpabio lashed out at Natasha while she attempted to speak without being invited to during his speech.
“Senator Natasha, you cannot speak without being asked or invited to speak in the Senate. This is not a nightclub,” He had said.
“Since that incident, things have changed for the worse. I’ve been removed from international activities that I was originally part of. There was even a United Nations event I was nominated for, but my name was suddenly struck out. I was told that they didn’t want to promote me on any international platform,” she explained.
According to the senator, her exclusion extended beyond conferences and meetings.
“So every event that I have been going to since last year has been self-sponsored. I have been going through a lot. Yesterday, I didn’t speak out of order. He was reading my suspension, and I had to invoke Order 10, which is an order of privilege,” she added.
