The seat arrangement dispute between Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio should not be reduced to a gender issue, according to former Edo State deputy governor Philip Shaibu.
Shaibu, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, said seats and offices of federal lawmakers are privileges and not rights. He believes that federal lawmakers must lobby for seats and offices.
From June 2015 to March 2016, the former deputy governor held the House of Representatives seat in the Etsako Federal constituency. He then served as a lawmaker for eight years at the Edo state House of Assembly.
Shaibu said, “Interestingly, Natasha is my friend. Senator Akpabio, the president of the Senate, is my political leader.
” There are rules guiding the House. When I was in the National Assembly, it was the prerogative of the leadership of the House to allocate office and to allocate seats, and in the House, there is what is called lobbying, you lobby for everything.
When I arrived in Abuja from day one, I quickly went to the lobby to check the types of offices they have, and where they have them. Perhaps because of my experience as a two-term member of the Edo State House of Assembly, I came to have a good office when you come in.
I was able to lobby for where I wanted to sit, and I was able to do so quickly. While some visitors who are coming for the first time were unaware of your advocacy.
“There are rules, the rules of the House if clear and you must be guided by them, it doesn’t mean whether you are a man or a woman. The House is the subject of the rules.
” The issue of seats and offices are a privilege. I don’t believe this is a gender issue; rather, I believe there is a miscommunication and we should abide by the House’s rules, which are both explicit and specific for men.
On February 20, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, rejected her assigned seat in the red chamber and challenged the Senate President’s order.
The female senator referred her to the senate disciplinary committee after the Akpabio-led upper legislative chamber received complaints about the senate president’s harassment and a N100bn alleged defamation lawsuit against him.
In July 2024, Akpabio apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan over his nightclub comment against the female lawmaker.
Source: Channels TV
Leave a Reply