Senate Leader Says Akpoti-Uduaghan Issue Distracted Nigerians from Senate's Progress

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has shared the challenges he and other leaders faced during the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. He described this situation as a big distraction from the Senate's work.

Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central, explained that during this time, major news outlets were focused on whether the suspension was justified. They did not cover the laws and reforms the Senate was working on to help Nigeria grow.

He pointed out that this was a tough time for the Senate leadership and the whole institution. It took attention away from governance and hurt the Senate's image.

Bamidele spoke on Monday at a media briefing, discussing the 10th Senate’s achievements and challenges over the last three years.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March 2025. This happened after the Senate's Committee on Ethics found her guilty of breaking the Senate’s rules during a session on February 20, 2025.

Before her suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of sexually harassing her. She claimed that Akpabio, despite being friends with her husband, suggested she should “take care of him” if she wanted her motions to be treated well in the Senate.

This allegation caused a stir both in Nigeria and abroad, making the National Assembly look bad. The issue gained more attention after she took it to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global group of national parliaments.

At an IPU meeting, she spoke tearfully about her suspension. She said she was not given a fair hearing and could not represent her constituents properly.

The controversy led to several court cases. Ekaette Akpabio, the wife of the Senate president, sued Akpoti-Uduaghan for allegedly harming her husband's reputation. Akpabio also filed a lawsuit against her, while Akpoti-Uduaghan took legal action against both the Senate president and the Senate.

This period was marked by court cases, which many said damaged the image of the parliament and its leaders. This was especially concerning during discussions about gender equality in politics.

Bamidele admitted that the whole situation was a big distraction for the Senate. He said, “The lowest point was when it looked like there was no order on the floor of the Senate, when it looked like we had no respect for the female gender.” He added that it seemed the Senate was not united during that time.

He also mentioned that at one point, a senator said the 10th Senate was the worst in Nigeria's history. Instead of discussing the Senate's work, the media focused on the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Bamidele said, “The discussion on media platforms almost every morning was about whether or not we did the right thing by suspending a senator.” He felt that this distraction overshadowed the Senate's efforts towards good governance.

Despite these challenges, Bamidele stated that the Senate has achieved a lot in the past three years. He said lawmakers have been effective in representing the people and keeping an eye on government spending.

He said, “This Senate has done a lot working with the executive arm to stabilise this economy.” He explained that they have also focused on making sure public funds are used properly.

Bamidele mentioned that the Senate has contributed to economic reforms through laws aimed at boosting government revenue and growth. “We made relevant laws to help shore up the revenue of this country, especially those tax reform bills,” he said.

He added that these laws would help turn around the economy, especially in the non-oil sector. The Senate has also worked with the executive to update laws in banking, finance, and security.

“We have also made laws in virtually every sector to stabilise things in the economy, education, and health sectors,” he said. He has sponsored over 70 bills, with more than half being his own. Seven of his bills have led to the creation of at least six federal institutions in Nigeria in the last two years.