“This s serious: Don’t do what you are about to do” to Senator Natasha, it is unfair and unjust

A SHOCKING, SAD AND DISTURBING NEWS
The Newspapers’ Review on TV  this morning saddened me deeply. According to the newspapers there were plans to recall Senator Natasha from the Senate.  It was a shocking, sad and disturbing news to me. “Why and for what?” I asked aloud. It was the silliest thing to contemplate at this heavily deceased,  highly troubled uncertain season in our our country where  trust and faith in  the political system had been  badly assailed and terribly shrunken.

APPEAL  TO THE POLITICAL  CLASS:DON’T DO WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO TO SENATOR NATASHA
The purpose of this piece is to appeal to the political class to drop the idea of recalling  Senator Natasha from the Senate. Please ” don’t do what you are about to do” to her.It is sad and dangerous -definitely bad politics taken too far to unacceptable level in Nigeria. It is both unfair and unjust. We therefore wish to appeal to President  Bola Ahmed  Tinubu to intervene to stop the malicious plan which is nothing more than an exercise in political madness which the country cannot afford to accommodate today.

WHY SENATOR  NATASHA  SHOULD  NOT BE RECALLED
There are at least four reasons  Senator  Natasha should not be recalled from the Senate.One is the unjustness and unfairness of the action. Two,  she is regarded as the best  Senator ever from the zone in terms of meaningful development and empowerment. Three, for the sake of Women Representation in the Senate and image abroad.  Fourth, personal charms and Beauty of  Senator  Natasha that radiates joy and happiness to many  in the  Senate.

1, UNJUSTNESS ABD UNFAIRNESS  OF THE  ACTION
To the best of my knowledge based on empirical evidences, Senator  Natasha did not offend the members of her Constituency. In fact sources from her  Senatorial zone say that the people loved her for her positve development efforts.

BEST  EVER SENATOR….
Some have said on National Tv such as Arise -Good Morning  Show of 26th  March,2026, Senator Natasha has been the best Senator ever from that  Zone. So why change a bright star that shone on everyone no matter the religious, political orientation? For sure she did not offend them.

FOR THE SAKE OF WOMEN  REPRESENTATION
There are only 4 women in the Senate. A Recall will reduce the number to 3 . It will therefore tell a sadder story of oppression and suppression of women in Nigeria by men. It will justify any protest by women groups over discrimination, exclusion of women from effective political participation.

It will be recalled that Natasha really believes that she has been a victim of male chauvinism in Nigeria. As she told the U N her case “depicts the crisis of women’s political representation…her suspension “is about the systemic exclusion of women from political leadership in Nigeria”. And not because of misconduct on the  Senate floor on the 4th March,  but  because  of  her allegation  of sexual  harassment  against  the  Senate  President.

At the time she made the statements, observers such  this writer  corrected  her by saying  that  she was suspended  for misconduct on the Senate  floor  on the 4th March 2025. For me “the problem  of Senator  Natasha was basically   her disrespect for  the rule  of the game at home  and unpatriotic attitude abroard” in her efforts to make her case known. It was not with her Senatorial zone.  The  moves for recall  now are proving  Natasha  and her supporters  right  that  there  is more  than  meets the eyes.

While this Writer   had criticized   Senator Natasha for  disrespecting the “Royal STOOL”  but  pleaded with the  Senate  to pardon  her and  grant  her lesser punishment because  of the  citizens  from her Constituency who voted   her  to represent  them as their Senator,  and advised  to apologize  to the Senate  because  the whole  is bigger  and stronger  than  any of its parts. the current attempt  to recall  her troubles  the hearts deeply.

Those calling  for  her recall  have now provided   Senator Natasha  the right weapons  of attacks  and consolidation  and confirmed  her fears  and claims  that her suspension “is about  the systemic exclusion  of women from  political  leadership  in Nigeria”.  This leads  to next   point- heightened  political  tension  at home  and soiled  image abroad.

HEIGHTENED  POLITICAL  TENSION  AT HOME AND SOILED  IMAGE   ABROAD
The recall  will  heighten the political  tension  in the country and dent our image abroad. It would  be helpful  to note that some  of the  supporters of Senator Natasha  notably  the Women  groups have even  threatened  national  strike  against  the Senate even when  they have no good  reasons other  than feminist  sentiments  of the Beijing  variety.

At that this writer had asked :  “Were they threatening  nation wide  in support  of  disobedience  of lawful  instruction, misconduct  in  the Senate Chamber? Now  they  would  have genuine  cause  for  anger: robbing a woman  of  her well deserved and hard earned  Senate seat,following “a petition  for sexual  harassment  against  the President  of  the Nigerian  Senate” . As we know  “there is no fury like a woman scorned”.

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ALSO READ: Recall petition: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accuses INEC of bias

In unison the supporters would remind  her traducers that  their  idol is a  a helpless victim  of  male chauvinism in Nigeria, With  good evidence  they would  show  to the world  that   Senator Natasha  had problem  with  the  Senate  and not with  her Constituency. Why the quest for  recall?

PERSONAL  CHARMS
” A thing of beauty  is a joy  for ever”. And so has been  Senator  Natasha in the Senate. And perhaps  why  the  sobriquet   princess of the  Senate.
Senator  Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan  is undoubtedly a beautiful Lady ,endowed highly  by God with beauty, brains, wealth, courage  and guts – qualities  that  actually combined to get her a seat  in  the Senate. Those who know her say she radiates love,  friendship,  happiness , beauty  and harmony  in the Senate. Her presence  remains  a source  of joy  to many  Senator.

And so far she has been  adjudged to be a good and hardworking  Senator by her people. As a member  of  the 10th National  Assembly, she has been known  for infrastructural  development of her Senatorial  District,  kindness  for  all, empowerment  programs especially  of youth.

She  did not offend members  of her  Constituency but the Senate for which she has been  severely punished. Recalling  her from  the Senate  is therefore  a big  contradiction and miscarriage  of justice  and wrong rewards  to hard work. It  raises  many  questions: Why do we always  like  to kill the most beautiful, the  best,  the ablest among  us?
I admire  Senator   Natasha for surviving  in a political  forest  that was was  heavily infested  and roared  for long by the white Lion from Okene- then Governor  whose words were the law in Kogi.

GENERAL  OBSERVATION
For me these are political  issues  that  can be resolved  politically  in the national  interest.  Mr President  should  wade in and save the day.  As we advised  elsewhere  “Senator  Natasha  should apologize  to the Senate  for  forgiveness   and return to her seat  without  malice to anyone  in the hallowed  chamber. A tree no matter  how tall  or  strong  remains a tree  and can never form  a forest.

While  we believe  that  the Senate  will not be able  to deliveŕ justice  to the satisfaction  of all parties on the allegation  of sexual  harassment  we  have advised her to go  the Court  of Justice for redress.  Meanwhile  she should  stop Feminism  rhetoric  and sloganizing. She is now a distinguished  Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , the  Princess of the   Senate as many fondly  call her  which she maliced  on the 4th of March.

There is no doubt  that  she violated some  of the Senate’s rules and protocols  for which  she was sanctioned. I agree with the view of a fellow Senator  that “the legislative chamber is not  a battle  ground for personal  grievances  or emotional  outburst. But a place of  order, debate  and democratic  principles”. However, she has been  punished for  whatever transgressions  committed  on the 4th March  during  her attempt  to contribute  to  “debate  and democratic  principles”. Therefore  a recall  will  amount  to over kill.

And it is needless  to observe  that  many including  this  Writer  believe  that  the earlier punishment has  been  excessively too harsh  and  out of proportion  to the offense thus prayed for a review.  All these  make  plans  to  recall  Senator  Natasha from  the Senate to amount  to what  some people  call “double  jeopardy” and brazen act of injustice.

Darkly  She expressed  worry  about  threats  to her security threat due  to the withdrawal  of her her security personnel as part of punishment(CHANNEL  TV March 2025)
While  we  have advised   that she should  not  be arrested  on  return  home,  we wish  to observe  that this and related  issues are the kind  that often win  sympathy  in  Europe  and the  United s States of America. Consequently, Nigeria  would be under  undue  pressure. This leads  me to  my prayers to Mr President.

OUR PRAYERS  TO PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU
Mr President  should  please intervene to save  the country  from unnecessary  embarrassment. This is especially so  for  the sake  of promoting Women  Representation,  international  image,   Justice, fair -play ,  personal  quality  and charms and respect  for the  political  system. Those pushing  for the recall  of Senator  Natasha should  not  be allowed  to do  what  they  are about to do because  it is against  National interest  and natural justice  to do so.

John Imonbhio  Abhuere fnim @ccydnigeria.com Centre for Child Care and Youth Development Nigeria Abuja

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