Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has countered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim about the seating reassignment in the Senate.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
Senator Natasha recently sparked a controversy in the Red Chamber when the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, reallocated her seat.
Her reaction to the seating arrangement sparked drama in the Senate during plenary as the lawmaker representing Kogi Central refused to move to the new seat assigned to her.
Natasha later raised her hand to speak but was denied recognition because she was not speaking from the seat assigned to her.
Angered by this, she raised her voice in protest, accusing Akpabio of denying her her privilege.
Subsequently, the Senate unanimously voted to refer her to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review.
However, while appearing on Arise TV on Friday, February 28, 2025, Senator Natasha claimed that the seating arrangement was part of a ploy to frustrate her legislative duties.
She also accused Senator Akpabio of sexual harassment, alleging that the Senate President has, on two occasions, demanded an intimate relationship from her.
Reacting to Natasha’s claim about the seating arrangement, Kingibe, while appearing on Arise TV on Friday, criticized the Kogi Senator, saying she doesn’t follow the Senate rules.
She said the three other female senators have been silent about the seating arrangement row because they don’t want to say anything negative about Natasha.
“Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules, and as women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her. We were hoping all of this would blow over, as a lot of things do in politics,” the Labour Party senator said.
She added, “The Senate is not a place where we are supposed to fight over trivialities like seating arrangements.”
According to Kingibe, Natasha was not the only lawmaker whose seat was moved. She disclosed that other lawmakers were affected by the seating reassignment.
“So if I may point out, other women were also moved several times that day. I wasn’t there, but I gathered that several men were also moved,” she said.
The chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs admitted that the Senate is not gender-friendly but said the situation has improved.
She said, “The truth of the matter is that, yes, the Senate is not gender-friendly, but it has been improving—much better than when we first entered the Senate, I must say. And the truth of the matter is, when we make a fuss and draw the attention of the Senate president, he corrects it. Truly, the Senate can do better than it is currently doing, but there’s hardly anything that’s been done to us that’s not done to other men.”
Kingibe appealed to women, saying, “I want women to know we have to follow the rules of the institution we choose to enter, and that is mostly the point of this visit here.”
The promotion, which commenced on January 8 and runs until February 8, 2026, offers five core maritime law books authored by Dr. Emeka Akabogu, SAN, ordinarily valued at N405,000, for just N150,000 — a 63% discount.
Interested buyers can place their orders through the following channels:
Phone: 0704 329 3271
Online Store: https://paystack.shop/aa-bookstore
Website: www.akabogulaw.com
_______________________________________________________________________
The Law And Practice Of Redundancy In Nigeria: A Practitioner’s Guide, Authored By A Labour & Employment Law Expert Bimbo Atilola
_______________________________________________________________________
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation
______________________________________________________________________
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR LAWYERS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
