Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secrets Reporters
The disgraceful inflammatory drama emanating from the Nigerian Senate is set to heat up with another landmark layer of fire as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has cemented plans to drag Senate President Godswill Akpabio to court over what she perceives as a defamatory and demeaning statement about her appearance and legislative conduct.
We exclusively gathered that the senator has initiated legal proceedings against Akpabio, demanding a staggering N100 billion in damages for defamation and character assassination. The crux of the matter stems from a statement made by Mfon Patrick, the Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President on New Media, which Senator Natasha deems slanderous and an affront to her dignity as a lawmaker.
Pancaking Her Face and Wearing Transparent Outfits
In a blistering Facebook post titled “IS LOCAL CONTENT COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE, NATASHA’S BIRTHRIGHT,” Mfon Patrick launched a scathing attack on Senator Natasha, questioning her understanding of legislative rules and belittling her presence in the Red Chambers.
“It is a bottled-up anger by the Kogi lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers,” Patrick wrote.
Defending his paymaster, Patrick said “The shameful drama displayed today on the floor of the Senate by Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan has nothing to do with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who presided over today’s plenary”.
“Her disgraceful action today is as a result of her recent removal as the Senate Committee Chairman on Local Content, a position she was said to have been using to cause avoidable embarrassment for the Senate, because of her uncouth behaviour to other members of the committee who were more schooled in legislative knowledge than her.”
He continued that “Natasha should stop all this grandstanding anytime she runs foul of the laws of the Senate, whipping up the sentiment that Senator Akpabio does not like women in position of authority. This is to say the least, shameful and unexpected of a supposed lawmaker.
“Senator Akpabio has worked successfully and peacefully with very respectable and respectful women in public offices, not a canterkerous character like Natasha who knows nothing but attacking the office and person of the President of the Senate”.
Adding layers to the already heated drama, Patrick said “Natasha knows for sure that her return to the Senate because of her woeful representation was dead on arrival, has resorted to whipping up sentiments of Akpabio being against women, just to secure an undeserved support from the women community in her district.
“This is exactly what you get when those who have got nothing to do in public offices, bulldoze themselves to undeserved positions and offices”.
We gathered that this statement, which has now been deleted, is at the heart of the senator’s decision to seek legal redress. Sources close to the lawmaker disclosed that she views the remark as not only defamatory but also an attempt to undermine her credibility and reduce her political persona to mere aesthetics.
A Senate in Turmoil
It could be recalled that the controversy erupted after an intense faceoff between Senator Natasha and Senate President Akpabio over the reassignment of seats in the chamber. Natasha, who protested against the move, accused Akpabio of deliberately silencing her and obstructing her legislative duties. In a dramatic turn of events, Akpabio ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove her from the chamber, but fellow lawmakers intervened to prevent what could have escalated into a full-blown altercation.
However, the storm did not end on the Senate floor. Mfon Patrick’s inflammatory remarks have ignited a firestorm, forcing Senator Natasha, known for her fearless approach to governance and advocacy for women’s rights to take regal actions against the Senate President.
