Skip to main content

On Senator Natasha and the Senate President: Defiance or Disruption? - Mohammed Abubakar Usman

 In the grand halls of the Nigerian Senate, where order and hierarchy dictate the flow of governance, tentation rise between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Her refusal to bow to his authority has ignited a moment of discord, challenging the very structure of legislative discipline. Yes! As the Hausa man says “Ko gidan Giya akwai babba” If I was there, I will ask her “is this defiance a necessary push for justice, or a disruption that threatens Senate order?” Her answer will help me really know whether to take side with her or not. Since I am not a senator and will never be “In sha Allah” I can only put my position here textually.

Senator Natasha, known for her fearless stance, has chosen to challenge what she sees as undue control. To her supporters, this is the mark of a young leader unwilling to be bullied into submission. Even though the senate wasn’t meant for the young the way I see it, Natasha's defiance, however, puts her on a collision course with the Senate President, raising questions about the limits of legislative authority. Akpabio, as the Senate President, despite his shortcomings and his reckless statement sometimes even  to the masses still stands as the custodian of order. His directives are expected to maintain decorum within the Red Chamber. But when a senator openly defies these directives, the question arises is this a stand for justice, or a mere act of insubordination? I still ask Natasha if she really meets this. Because a power dynamic between Akpabio and Natasha now shapes the next phase of unfolding drama, leading to deeper tensions within the chamber and we are all affected either directly or otherwise.

The confrontation between the two has set the stage for what could become an ongoing power struggle. Natasha’s defiance, whether influenced by her principles or it is politically motivated, has shaken the usual order of Senate proceedings. If left unchecked, this rancorous moment may escalate into deeper divisions within the Senate. More concerning is the procedural misconduct surrounding her actions. I watched this evening on Arise TV as she submitted the petition, which has fueled much of this controversy, I also learned that the petition was personally signed by her, an outright violation of legislative protocol, which requires such documents to be signed by a neutral third party or an authorized representative. Furthermore, her refusal to comply with the directive to change her seat in the Senate chamber further cements the image of a senator choosing defiance over due process.

Her attitude has also dragged Nigerians' attention toward the case, making them forget about pressing national concerns, the 2025 budget has already been passed with little public scrutiny, mobile service providers have quietly increased tariffs, allegations about USAID’s alleged sponsorship of Boko Haram have been muted, and reports of missing ammunition from police custody have faded into the background. The question remains: Is Natasha pushing for genuine reform, or is this just the beginning of a prolonged political standoff? With each move, the battle for control grows more intense, testing the resilience of Senate leadership.

While some may see Senator Natasha’s actions as a bold push against tyranny, against the personality of Akpabio, against the will of those at the top others may view them as unnecessary disruptions that weaken the credibility of the Senate. In a chamber already struggling with public confidence, the stakes are high. The coming days will determine whether this is a transformative moment for Nigeria’s legislative politics or just another power struggle masked as activism by a young senator known as Natasha.

Mohammed Abubakar USMAN
reactiveelement@gmail.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PANTAMI’S COSTLY MISCALCULATION DURING EL-RUFAI’S MOTHER’S BURIAL

Politics has its own rules. Timing and perception matter as much as intentions. Those who see it only through a moral or religious lens often misread the dangers, and that is exactly what happened in this case. Recently, at the burial of the mother of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El‑Rufai, a moment meant for grief turned into a political scene. Present there was Uba Sani, a man whose political relationship with El‑Rufai has grown tense in recent times.   Pantami wanted to get the credit for reconciliation and insisted on a public handshake between the two former (according to El-Rufai) friends. From a religious standpoint, one might understand the need for that. In faith traditions, reconciliation is virtuous, and many scholars often encourage believers to mend broken ties. Pantami likely saw the moment through that spiritual frame. He may, in his mind, have been drawing inspiration from a hadith that promotes peace between disputing parties. But politics is a differen...
Post a Comment
Read more

ON ELRUFA'I THE FAKE MESSIAH - Mohammed Abubakar Usman

 At a gathering, when Maryam Alhanisalam called El-Rufai  "The Iron Man,"  he laughed not out of humility, but because he had just heard the most suitable title for himself. A man who prided himself on ruling with an iron hand, rigid, stubborn, unmoved, unshaken and unquestioning of his own decisions, dismissing critics like they were beneath him and carrying himself like the only one with sense. The only one who knows everything. For eight years, his opinion was the only one that mattered disagreeing with him meant you were an enemy or too ignorant to be taken seriously. I remember in one of our meetings with one of his commissioners, one of the directors attempted to remind me of the way I talk thinking that everyone fears him like God. Remembering our encounters I was so surprised to watch a man who never believed in reconciliation (because, in his mind, he was always right) talking about reconciliatory move on television. Kaduna, a state already battling religious and...
Post a Comment
Read more

WHO IS WRONG AND WHAT WENT WRONG: (a look into almajiri system). By s.a bawa. Saifuadam@gmail.com

WHO IS WRONG AND WHAT WENT WRONG: (a look into almajiri system). By s.a bawa. Saifuadam@gmail.com Every african has a dream, that very dream to get out of poverty line, but many die too young with their dreams. In nigeria, most talent are bound, it is here that we struggle to gain, million ways of visions yet to tap, every nigerian is battling poverty, even the so-called rich men because we are seeing them busy with court cases on their neck and it is all about MONEY so that they don't get poor. The poor are negleted and forgotten like an old page of an old book in an old isolated library. The reason is only that they are POOR, not forgetting that they were born poor because some greedy people stole their life in a horror moment. Poverty is the poor peoples common friend, they are not bad but yet people rejected the poor. Poor people suffer because GREEDY people consider poverty as a SIN. The gaskiyan magana is ALL of us want to make money, but money b...
Post a Comment
Read more