If the Nigerian Senate were a Nollywood production, the latest episode featuring Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would be the perfect mix of political drama, betrayal, and a pinch of tragicomedy.
Once the darling of the Senate, Natasha has gone from Akpabio’s unofficial “poster girl” to the inconvenient thorn in his side.
The latest skirmish? A battle over where she gets to park her distinguished self in the hallowed chamber.
The chaos unfolded during Thursday’s plenary when Natasha, representing Kogi Central, returned to find that her prime real estate within the Senate had been reassigned.
Read also: UPDATE: Natasha, Akpabio clash in Senate over seating arrangement
Now, this was no small slight in a place where seniority is everything and strategic seating can mean the difference between influence and irrelevance. Naturally, Natasha wasn’t having it.
She challenged the decision, setting off a heated exchange that saw Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Monguno, jumping in with a recital of Senate rules.
According to Monguno, the musical chairs were necessary due to the ongoing political migrations, as opposition members continued their pilgrimage to the ruling party’s side of the aisle.
He warned that disobedience would result in consequences, including Natasha being banished to legislative Siberia—a fate worse than missing out on a foreign trip.
Akpabio, ever the defender of order (at least when it suits him), upheld Monguno’s stance.
When Natasha tried to speak from her original seat, she was denied recognition. But Natasha, not one to go quietly, protested with flair.
“I don’t care if I am silenced, I am not afraid! You have denied me my privilege!” she thundered.
Then came the real kicker, “Mr. Senate President, ever since the nightclub incident, you have deliberately silenced my voice!”
Now, if this were a courtroom, someone in the gallery would have gasped.
But alas, this was the Senate, where such allegations are merely appetizers before the main course of political theatrics.
“My bills have not made it to the second reading! I have taken a lot from you! If you don’t want me to speak here, I will let the whole world know how you have discriminated against me!” she continued, finger wagging and all.
In response, Akpabio, like a teacher tired of an unruly pupil, directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort her out. “Please take her out, so we can proceed with serious matters,” he quipped, as if the Senate ever had those.
A friendship story gone wrong
But let’s rewind a bit, shall we? Once upon a time, Natasha was Akpabio’s golden girl.
She was, by all definitions, the Senate’s ‘It Girl’—gracing every meeting with her presence, always the lone female lawmaker balancing the all-boys-club energy.
She was in every power circle, and Akpabio made sure she landed a coveted chairmanship—the Senate Local Content Committee, a position many senior lawmakers grumbled about behind closed doors.
But Akpabio, ever the godfather, stood firm. Natasha was the chosen one.
She didn’t stop at committee chairmanships, though. Oh no, Natasha was also a regular on the Senate’s foreign trips, ensuring that wherever Akpabio and the boys went, a touch of glamour followed, including their very popular Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Their relationship extended beyond the Red Chamber; Akpabio even attended her baby’s christening. And, of course, whispers in Abuja’s political corridors suggested that Akpabio and Natasha’s husband shared a good friendship.
But as every good drama requires a fall from grace, things took a nosedive in July last year when Natasha, in her signature favoured baby girl manner, attempted to speak during Akpabio’s speech—uninvited.
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“Senator Natasha, you cannot speak without being invited. This is not a nightclub,” Akpabio snapped.
Cue the public outrage. Women’s groups took up arms, and Akpabio, facing the wrath of Twitter feminists and political watchdogs alike, was forced into an uncharacteristic act of humility.
“Distinguished Senator Natasha, I want to apologise to you,” he declared during a plenary session on July 23.
“I will not intentionally denigrate any woman. The interest shown on social media indicates that we have enemies.”
Enemies? Perhaps. Or maybe, just maybe, people were tired of lawmakers treating the Senate like a personal chessboard.
The fall from grace
Despite the apology, the damage was done.
Natasha, once the Senate’s Star Girl, became noticeably distant. She spoke less, stopped flaunting her insider status, and abandoned her position as Akpabio’s trusted female voice in leadership meetings.
By December, Akpabio dropped the first hint of his next move: a committee shake-up.
Come February, Natasha’s fate was sealed. She was removed as Chairperson of the Local Content Committee and moved to Chairperson of the less-influential Committee on Diaspora and NGOs. A poster girl reduced to a backbencher.
Senator Sunday Karimi on Thursday, perhaps, hoping to play mediator, revealed that Natasha had been gifted the Local Content Committee chairmanship in the first place through lobbying by himself and Senator Isah Jibrin.
“We extended a hand of fellowship to her when she joined. In fact, we lobbied intensely to ensure that the chairmanship position initially allocated to Senator Abubakar Ohere was given to her,” Karimi said, essentially confirming that her initial rise had nothing to do with merit but political favors.
But the final dagger? Natasha’s demotion, some claim, was punishment for facilitating LNG stations at Ajaokuta Steel Company—an initiative that Akpabio allegedly felt was redirecting South-South resources to a northern state.
And just like that, Natasha found herself on the wrong side of Akpabio’s good graces.
Read also: 2025 Budget to be transmitted to President soon – Akpabio
So what’s next?
With their relationship in ruins, the question remains: What happens next? Will Natasha, ever the fighter, stage a political comeback? Or will Akpabio, like a seasoned godfather, tighten his grip and ensure she remains politically exiled?
One thing is certain—this Senate drama is far from over.
And as for their once-glorious friendship? Well, in Nigerian politics, today’s poster girl is tomorrow’s political outcast. Stay tuned for the next episode.
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