Suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has publicly apologized to former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, following a heated confrontation between Ezekwesili and Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi during a Senate Ethics Committee hearing.
The clash erupted while Ezekwesili was defending Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she accused of sexual harassment. As Ezekwesili spoke, Nwaebonyi, appearing as a witness for Akpabio, repeatedly interrupted her. Frustrated, Ezekwesili snapped, saying, “Please, will you shut up?”
This remark provoked an angry reaction from Nwaebonyi, who retorted, “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.”
In response to the incident, Akpoti-Uduaghan took to social media to praise Ezekwesili and offer an apology on behalf of the insults directed at her. “Ma’am, I apologize for the insults. Know you took them for me… for us… as a mother and as a leader. You are a true icon of integrity, courage, and visionary leadership,” she wrote.
Ezekwesili acknowledged the apology but redirected attention to the broader fight for justice, stating, “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 heated exchange, the Senate ultimately dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Akpabio, citing ongoing court proceedings as the basis for their decision.
