Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Ireti Kingibe, has emphasized the need for lawmakers to abide by Senate regulations, following a heated exchange between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangements.
Speaking on Arise TV, Kingibe criticized her Kogi colleague, stating that Akpoti-Uduaghan does not always adhere to Senate rules.
She noted that the other three female senators had remained silent on the issue, choosing not to publicly criticize Natasha in hopes that the matter would fade away.
“Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. As women, we didn’t want to say anything negative about her publicly, and we were hoping this would all blow over, as many issues do,” the Labour Party senator remarked.
She dismissed the seating arrangement dispute as trivial, arguing that the Senate is not the place for such disagreements. According to Kingibe, Natasha was not the only senator affected by seating reassignment, as several male lawmakers were also relocated that day.
While acknowledging that the Senate is not entirely gender-inclusive, Kingibe stated that the situation has improved over time.
She explained that when concerns are raised, the Senate President often addresses them.
However, she stressed that the treatment of female senators is not significantly different from that of their male counterparts.
Appealing to women, Kingibe urged them to respect the rules of any institution they choose to be part of, emphasizing the importance of order within the legislative body.
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