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By Lizzy Chirkpi
A wave of controversy has swept through the land following the release of a satirical “apology letter” penned by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The letter, addressed to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, drips with sarcasm and levels thinly veiled accusations of impropriety, further escalating tensions within the upper legislative chamber.
The Senate had earlier handed down a six-month suspension to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for breaching Senate rules and Standing Orders.
The letter, which has circulated widely on social media, pulls no punches in its critique of the Senate President and, implicitly, the prevailing power dynamics within the Red Chamber.
The full text of the letter reads:
“Dear Distinguished Senate President Godswill Akpabio, It is with the deepest sarcasm and utmost theatrical regret that I tender this apology for the grievous crime of possessing dignity and self-respect in your most exalted presence.
“I have reflected extensively on my unforgivable failure to recognize that legislative success in certain quarters is apparently not earned through merit, but through the ancient art of compliance — of the very personal kind.
“How remiss of me not to understand that my refusal to indulge your… “requests” was not merely a personal choice, but a constitutional violation of the unwritten laws of certain men’s entitlement.
“Truly, I must apologize for prioritizing competence over capitulation, vision over vanity, and the people’s mandate over private dinners behind closed doors.
” I now realize the catastrophic consequences of my actions: legislation delayed, tempers flared, and the tragic bruising of egos so large they require their own postcodes. For this disruption to the natural order of “quid pro quo,” I bow my head in fictional shame.
“Please find it in your magnanimous heart — somewhere buried deep beneath layers of entitlement — to forgive this stubborn woman who mistakenly believed that her seat in the Senate was earned through elections, not erections.
I remain,
Yours in eternal resistance,
Senator Natasha H Akpoti Uduaghan
Unafraid, Unbought, and Unbroken”
Senator Akpoti was suspended in March, 2025 following her dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio who she accused of sexual harassment, a claim the latter has denied.
“That the Senate do suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for her total violation of the Senate Standing Rules (2023 as amended for bringing the presiding officer and the entire Nigerian Senate to public opprobrium,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said while reading out the recommendations of the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct probing her claims.
Despite efforts by some senators to reduce the suspension period to three months, the Senate, in a majority vote, sustained the initial decision.
However, the lawmakers ruled that the suspension could be lifted or reduced if she tenders a written apology.