The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has stated that her Kogi Central counterpart, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was wrong by not adhering to Senate rules about seating arrangement in the Red Chamber.
She, however, noted that before things went south between Natasha and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Kogi Central Senator had enjoyed more privileges than other three female Senators in the Senate.
Natasha, who featured on Arise News breakfast programme, ‘The Morning Show’ on Friday morning, claimed that her continuous faceoffs with Akpabio began after she rejected his alleged sexual advances.
However, speaking in an interview on Arise News Friday afternoon, Senator Ireti Kingibe, who serves as the Senate Chairperson for Women Affairs Committee, remarked that the four female Senators share a close bond and that she considered Natasha as a daughter due to their age difference.
However, she criticised Natasha for not adhering to Senate rules, noting that seat changes have affected other lawmakers as well.
“The day in question, I was not in the Senate. When I came out, my driver told me there was a problem in the Senate. As soon as I heard her name, as I always do with everything that concerns her, I promptly called her,” Kingibe said.
“She tried to explain about seating, but she had not given me the proper explanation before she said she’d call me back. Till today, Senator Natasha has not called me. I have a smartphone; before I called Senator Natasha’s husband, I had called her twice without a response.
“He said she went to Singapore; maybe that’s why. And then I said to him, this is not the way things should happen.”
Kingibe explained that although the Senate was “not gender-friendly,” it has made significant improvements.
“The truth is that the Senate is not gender-friendly, but it has been improving—much better than when we first entered the Senate. I must say, when we make a fuss and draw the attention of the Senate President, he does correct it.
“Truly, the Senate can do better than it’s doing, but there’s hardly anything that has been done to us that’s not done to other men.
“It’s more appropriate to say that the Senate is not opposition-friendly.
“The truth is, Senator Natasha has gotten the most privileges among all four of us (female senators). The seat I sit on now has been moved four times.”
Kingibe also defended the silence of the other female Senators, explaining that they chose not to speak publicly against Natasha.
“The reason why you hear that the three (remaining) women in the Senate are being silent. yes, because silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. And as women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her, and we were hoping all of this would blow over, as a lot of things do.”
On the allegations of sexual harassment, Kingibe distanced herself, stating that she is not close enough to Akpabio to discuss such matters.
“Whether there’s sexual harassment between them, they already had a personal relationship before they came to the Senate. Three of us had no relationship with Senator Akpabio before we came.
“I don’t have enough of a relationship with Senator Akpabio to discuss sexual harassment with him. When I go to the Senate and my neighbours or Senator Natasha are not there, I collect documents on their behalf.
“I collected documents for Senator Natasha. I called her, and she said she was home. I went to her house. I got there, and after offering a meal, she told me she was supposed to discuss something with him, and he said he would meet her in some hotel.
“I said to her, ‘You only meet the Senator in offices.”
