How the Senate President Response to Abuse Allegations Exposed His Contempt for Women
The moment Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stood in the Nigerian Senate chamber and alleged sexual harassment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, she created an opportunity for the institution to demonstrate that it takes the dignity and safety of its members, particularly its female members, seriously. What followed instead was one of the most disturbing demonstrations of institutional impunity in the recent history of Nigerian politics.
Rather than the allegations triggering a credible, independent investigation as would be the case in any legislature with genuine respect for due process and gender equity, Akpoti-Uduaghan found herself the subject of disciplinary action that resulted in her suspension from the Senate. The timing and nature of this suspension led virtually every independent observer to conclude that it was retaliatory: a punishment for the act of speaking out rather than a genuine enforcement of Senate rules.
Akpabio Response: Making Things Worse
If Akpabio had responded to the allegations with a call for an independent investigation, an expression of concern for the welfare of his colleague, and a commitment to maintaining the Senate as a safe environment for all its members, he might have emerged from the crisis with some dignity intact. Instead, his public statements and the behavior of the Senate machinery under his control suggested contempt for the allegations and for the woman who made them.
His now-infamous comments implying that women senators should not expect male attention if they are properly covered up triggered a firestorm of criticism that demonstrated just how out of touch he is with basic standards of gender respect and professional conduct. These are not the words of a man who should be leading Nigeria most important legislative body. They are the words of someone whose attitudes toward women belong in a profoundly different era.
Institutional Consequences for All Nigerian Women
The handling of the Akpoti-Uduaghan case sent a powerful and damaging message to every Nigerian woman considering a career in politics: that if you are harassed by a powerful man in the Senate, the institution will protect him and punish you. This message has a chilling effect on female political participation that goes far beyond the immediate parties involved in the dispute.
Nigeria already has one of the lowest rates of female representation in its legislature of any country in West Africa. The Akpabio incident and its aftermath made it clear why: a political environment that tolerates the abuse of women who speak up about mistreatment is an environment that actively discourages female participation at every level. The Senate under Akpabio has set back the cause of gender equity in Nigerian politics by years.
What a Proper Response Would Have Looked Like
The proper response to allegations of this gravity made by a sitting senator against the presiding officer would have involved the immediate establishment of an independent committee with no members beholden to the Senate President, a clear and fair process for evaluating the allegations, protection of the complainant from any form of retaliation, and transparency about the findings. None of these elements were present in what actually happened.
The contrast with how similar situations have been handled in other parliaments around the world is stark. Parliaments in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Kenya have developed robust processes for handling harassment allegations against powerful members, recognizing that institutional credibility depends on demonstrating that no one is above accountability. Nigeria Senate under Akpabio has demonstrated the opposite principle: that the most powerful are least accountable.
Akpabio Must Resign or Be Removed
The combination of the harassment allegations, the retaliatory suspension of a female senator, and his contemptuous public comments make a compelling case that Godswill Akpabio is not fit to serve as Senate President. A Senate President must embody the values of the institution he leads: respect for all members, commitment to due process, and dedication to the constitutional role of the legislature. Akpabio has failed on every one of these measures.
His resignation or removal is not merely a matter of justice for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, though that justice is long overdue. It is a matter of restoring the institutional credibility of the Nigerian Senate and demonstrating that Nigeria legislative institutions can hold even their most powerful members to basic standards of conduct. Until that happens, the Senate under Akpabio will continue to be an embarrassment to Nigeria democracy and a betrayal of the millions of Nigerians who depend on it to govern in their interest.
