In one out of three Nigerian women, there is a Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. They exist in the homes, worship centres, academic environments and work places. But they are more in politics, where they are vulnerable and largely seen as objects of pleasure by their male counterparts.
By Emeka Alex Duru
Nigeria’s politics is never short of drama. Even when they tilt to the absurd, the theatricals are never limited in supply. In 2011, as Group Politics Editor of Daily Independent Newspapers, we had a meeting with a governorship candidate of one of the smaller political parties in Akwa Ibom state. His narration of what happened in his polling unit was indeed, baffling.
He said that he was accompanied to the unit by his wife and mother, where he voted for himself and was sure that his wife and mother did same. These were aside his campaign manager and other supporters in the Ward, he felt also voted for him. But at the end of the exercise, he was scored zero in the polling unit. His shock was that even if his wife, mother and supporters did not vote for him, he was sure that he voted for himself. How then was he scored zero? That question was not resolved till our meeting with him ended.
A colleague who attempted going for a councillorship seat in Ondo, also had his story to tell. Before the Congress, he soared high among the people, to the discomfort of his elderly opponent. Few days to the contest, a delegation was sent to him to step down for the old man and wait for the next election season. But feeling that he had the support of the people, he insisted on contesting. At the election ground, someone raised the point of being sure that the contestants were actual members of the party. He did not read any meaning to what seemed an innocuous suggestion. But when the membership register was provided, to his surprise, his name was missing. His duly signed membership card which he presented, did not save his case. He was walked out of the convention ground like a common criminal.
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You would not imagine such awkward experiences unless you come close to one. Some say it is akin to the axiomatic mumbo jumbo, a byword for confusion and deception. A recent viral video of a group manufacturing signatures of constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial district, to kickstart the process of recalling Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the zone in the Senate, is line with the script. There are many dimensions of the Senator Natasha affair. There is the angle of her six-month suspension by the senate for what her colleagues claimed was over unruly behaviour. There is also the sex assault allegation she has raised against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
We shall concentrate at the haste at which her recall process is being pursued and what it portends to women in the country’s politics. In a petition, dated March 21, 2025, in pursuant to Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended), as well as INEC regulations and guidelines for recall petitions, her traducers alleged loss of confidence in the senator due to allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, evasion of due process, and a pattern of deceitful behavior. They stated with emphasis that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions in and outside the senate have “not only embarrassed the people of Kogi Central constituency but also tarnished the integrity of the Nigerian Senate and our nation’s democratic institutions.” Four days later, they stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) head office, with sacks of petitions purportedly from Kogi Central constituents. According to their spokesperson, Charity Ijese, 250,000 out of nearly 480,000 registered voters in the senatorial district, had signed up for the recall. INEC however faulted the petitioners for providing a vague address—simply listing “Okene, Kogi State” – which does not meet the standards outlined in the commission’s regulations.
In a saner clime, the observation by the INEC on the inadequacies of the petition and vested interest by those on the campaign, should be enough to rubbish the exercise. But not the INEC as presently constituted and led by Prof Mahmood Yakubu. It is one that can spring bizarre surprises. In less than 24 hours, signatures and addresses of purported Kogi Central constituents seeking the recall of the Senator had been gathered.
With the speed at which the entire process is being executed, it is apparent that the Natasha recall project has been discussed and decided. Nigerians are merely being entertained with the strategies to perfect it. If therefore at the end of the day, she is kicked out of the senate, I will not be surprised. In the Nigeria of today, everything is possible, except those in authority doing the right thing.
By pointing out the ills in the Senate and the Nigerian system, Natasha went beyond her bounds; she literally crossed the red lines. In that case, he should be ready to face the consequences. Amilcar Cabral, the revolutionary socialist leader of the national liberation movement in Guinea-Bissau captured it in his theory of class suicide, which he explained as the act of dying to the privileged class of one’s birth or circumstance by sacrificing one’s own advantages in favour of full identification with the oppressed. In our peculiar arrangement, it amounts to going against the table manners. The punishment is usually severe.
But the issue goes beyond what is presently playing out in the Senate. In one out of three Nigerian women, there is a Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. They exist in the homes, worship centres, academic environments and work places. But they are more in politics, where they are vulnerable and largely seen as objects of pleasure by their male counterparts. No matter Nigeria’s claims of signing up to the affirmative action, it all amounts to mere lip service. The lot of women in our politics, remains piteous. Of the 109 Senators in the Red chambers, there are only four females. In the House of Representatives, there are 14 women among the 360 members, representing barely 3.9 percent. By the time Natasha is taken out, only three female members would remain in the Senate.
When allegations are thus raised of the females being seen as preys by their male predators, it becomes easy to be understood. For the men of power in Nigeria, women do not matter, except in appropriating their numbers for electoral purposes. And that is where the country gets it wrong. Apart from having the numbers, women are the real pillars of the families; and the families constitute the society. Any system that looks down on its female folks, will continue to grope in illusion. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan may be the victim today but it is the larger Nigerian society that is being held down by the country’s rapacious power mongers.
