Suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has publicly apologized to former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, after a tense exchange between Ezekwesili and Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi during a Senate Ethics Committee hearing.
During the Senate ethics committee hearing on the sexual harassment claim against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Akpoti-Uduaghan argued that Ezekwesili absorbed the insults directed at her by Nwaebonyi, the member representing Ebonyi North, on behalf of all women.
The confrontation occurred while Ezekwesili was speaking in defense of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she has accused of sexual harassment. However, Nwaebonyi, serving as a witness for Akpabio, repeatedly interrupted Ezekwesili, prompting her to respond: “Please, will you shut up?”
This remark infuriated Nwaebonyi, who fired back: “You’re a fool. What do you mean? Why are you talking to me like that? I will not take it. You’re an insult to womanhood. People like you cannot be here.”
Following the incident, Akpoti-Uduaghan took to social media to commend Ezekwesili, writing: “Ma’am, I apologise for the insults. Know you took them for me… for us… as a mother and as a leader. Know that you are a true icon of integrity, courage, and visionary leadership.”
Ezekwesili responded with gratitude but emphasized the broader fight for justice: “Yet to me, a torrent of insults from any source is but a little price to pay in our resolve to see a Nigerian that becomes. An unjust society that silences women and vulnerable people can never Become.”
Despite the intense exchanges, the Senate dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Akpabio, citing ongoing litigations in court as the reason for the decision.
Related story:
‘I Apologize for the Insults You Took for Me, For Women’ – Senator Natasha Tells Ezekwesili
