The Lagos State Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Dayo Ekong, has strongly condemned the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, following her allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Ekong described Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as a “grotesque perversion” of justice, rather than an act of fairness.
The senator had accused Akpabio of sexually harassing her and allegedly denying her certain privileges after she rejected his advances. She subsequently petitioned the Senate’s Ethics Committee regarding the allegations.
However, on Thursday, the committee dismissed her petition on procedural grounds and suspended her for six months, citing that she had “ridiculed” the Senate.
Reacting to this, Ekong criticized the decision, stating that it effectively silenced a female voice in a male-dominated political space. She described Natasha’s suspension as a symbol of systemic oppression.
In a statement, Ekong expressed outrage over the development, stating:
“As the Chairman of the Lagos State Labour Party, I speak with a mix of outrage and sorrow at the grievous injustice unfolding in our National Assembly. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who bravely spoke out about sexual harassment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has been suspended for six months—not so her claims could be investigated, but for daring to voice them.
She criticized the Senate Ethics Committee for dismissing the petition on procedural technicalities, instead of prioritizing a thorough investigation.
Ekong questioned the broader implications of Natasha’s suspension, asking:
“If a sitting senator—one of just four women in a 109-member chamber—can be silenced and suspended for seeking accountability, what does this mean for ordinary Nigerian women? The market trader harassed by police, the student preyed upon by lecturers, the domestic worker with no platform to speak out?”
She further accused the Senate of protecting powerful individuals rather than ensuring justice, stating that the decision revealed the systemic misogyny that silences women and emboldens perpetrators of harassment.
Ekong also called out the senators who voted in favor of Natasha’s suspension, warning:
“History will not forgive the weaponization of procedure against progress. Reducing the number of female senators from four to three in a country where women face daily injustices is not just hypocrisy—it is an assault on democracy itself.”
She reaffirmed her and the Labour Party’s unwavering support for Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, praising her for continuing to pursue justice despite intimidation.
Ekong urged Nigerians to reject a system that punishes victims while shielding the powerful, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in institutions.
She concluded with a call to action:
“We must lend our voices to this injustice. We must create a system where no woman—whether a senator or a student—is ever silenced again.”