Suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Sunday tendered a sarcastic and unreserved “apology” to Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the controversial sexual harassment allegation she had previously levelled against him.
The apology came through a satirical letter released to newsmen in Abuja while Akpabio, the former Akwa Ibom governor, was in Rome leading a Federal Government delegation to attend the funeral of the late Pope Francis.
Senator Natasha was suspended by the Senate on March 6 following a heated dispute over a new seating arrangement, which she claimed was a deliberate move to marginalise her. The situation escalated when she accused Akpabio on national television of punishing her for allegedly rejecting his sexual advances.
During the Women in Parliament session at the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting held at the United Nations in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan called for international attention to the Nigerian Senate, condemning what she described as punitive actions taken against her, including withdrawal of security details, salary cuts, and a six-month suspension from the National Assembly.
After the dispute drew intense media attention, a court order was issued, barring both parties from making further public comments pending the resolution of the legal proceedings.
However, in a move that reignited public interest, Akpoti-Uduaghan issued a letter on Sunday addressed to Akpabio, dripping with heavy sarcasm. In it, she mockingly apologised for what she described as “the grievous crime of possessing dignity and self-respect” in his presence.
Part of the letter read:
“I have reflected extensively on my unforgivable failure to recognise that legislative success in certain quarters is apparently not earned through merit, but through the ancient art of compliance — of the very personal kind.”
She went further to state,
“Please find it in your magnanimous heart — somewhere buried deep beneath layers of entitlement — to forgive this stubborn woman who mistakenly believed that her seat in the Senate was earned through elections, not erections.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan signed off the letter by declaring herself “Unafraid, Unbought, and Unbroken.”
The Senate leadership has yet to officially respond to the letter as of the time of filing this report.
