- Kogi Senator worried over state of women in politics
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has apologised to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) over his ‘night club’ remarks.
Akpabio, last week, told Akpoti-Uduaghan not to speak like she was in a ‘night club’ during a session after she spoke without being recognised during a session.
The Senate president had asked for a voice vote, and while the ‘nay’ response came the loudest, Akpoti-Uduaghan rose to explain why she and some others took that stand.
She said: “Mr President, we don’t want it to be killed. We just want a bit of modification. We don’t want the bill killed, but there should be slight modification.”
But Akpabio, in responding to her, said: “You see Senator Natasha, in the chamber, you have to be recognised before you speak. We’re not in a night club.” He has however said his ‘night club’ remark was reported out of context.
Read Also: Believe in yourselves, First Lady urges youths
Speaking yesterday, he said: “We are still learning, even those of us who have been in the Senate for 16 years, we are still learning.
“But in the cause of speaking with one of my distinguished sisters on not speaking when not recognised, I made reference to the fact that we are not in a night club where people have to shout above the noise of the music.
“The social media went agog, my wife called me that they published her number and she received around 2,000 to 3,000 calls per day. I’m happy with the interest generated by Nigerians with what goes on in this chamber because we are here for their interest.
“The communication was totally misunderstood, instead of making meaning with what we said, they went into private abuse; I don’t want to say what they did to me.
“I will not intentionally denigrate any woman. I have a wife and four daughters and I always pray that God will lift a girl to the highest zenith in Nigeria, politically and in business. So Senator Natasha I want to apologise to you if you felt offended.
“There is nothing I will say that would not be misrepresented; I felt I should tender a public apology to you.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has however lamented the extreme danger of politics in Nigeria, especially for women.
Speaking at the ECOWAS Female Parliament Association spotlight initiative titled ‘Rethinking Women’s Proportional Representation in Governance: Case Study of Nigeria’, the lawmaker, according to a statement by her media aide, Arogbonlo Israel, highlighted the high cost of politics in Nigeria which puts women at a disadvantage as most men are more financially stable than women in Nigeria.
She said: “Politics is extremely dangerous in Nigeria. In Nigeria, you can’t be gentle as a woman. I honestly wish politics in Nigeria would not be so tough because when a woman who is born to nurture becomes too tough, it’s not good.
“I am so tough now that I rarely cry except maybe something totally touches my heart that I pushed myself. That is what violence teaches you, so I have to constantly tell myself, do not let your experiences change you because I don’t want to be like those who attacked me.”