Natashagate: Interesting Times Ahead

The day Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan with a smirk and a crude remark about nightclubs, the script was set. It seemed to observers to be a deliberate power play, one that relied on the assumption that she, like others before her, would back down. She didn’t. And now, the fallout is rewriting the rules of engagement in ways the Senate didn’t anticipate.

What started as a dispute over seating has spiralled into a political storm, laced with allegations of harassment, an “illegal” suspension, and an attempt at recall that many view as a thinly veiled act of political persecution.

Curiously, when Akpabio himself refused to accept a seat reassignment under Bukola Saraki’s leadership, the Senate did not erupt into months of controversy. There were no suspension letters, no recall machinery grinding into motion. Maybe the tolerance for dissent depends less on principle and more on who dares to dissent.

But the Senate isn’t the only actor in this unfolding drama. The Kogi State Government’s ban on protests—imposed just in time to disrupt Natasha’s gathering—raises more questions than it answers. While officials claim security concerns, the timing conveniently benefits those who prefer her silenced.

If the strategy was to diminish Natasha’s relevance, it has failed spectacularly. Suspension has freed her from Senate formalities, granting her time and an even louder voice. Attempts to discredit her have instead expanded her reach, drawing attention far beyond Kogi politics. In trying to put out a fire, her opponents have thrown fuel on it. At the heart of all this is more than just Natasha—it is a system that resists disruption, particularly from those who refuse to accept the unspoken rules. Where this leads is uncertain, but it is clear that those who set this chain of events in motion may soon realize that in politics, as in life, some battles only make the underdog stronger