News
NATASHA: VICTIM OF MALE HEGEMONY BY Charles Nwokedi
Charles Nwokedi
Last Thursday, March 6, 2025, will go down in history as one dark day in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.
Indeed, it was a dark day for Nigeria’s democracy as the Nigerian Senate, suspended one of its own, Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan, for violating the Standing Rules of the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.
Fourteen days before the suspension, the elegant female lawmaker had an altercation with the President of the Senate, Sen Godswill Akpabio over a new sitting arrangement that did not go down well with her.
On getting into the hallowed chamber of the parliament that fateful day, Natasha found that she had been relocated from the seat allocated to her when she was elected to represent the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State.
Since she had no prior knowledge of the change in the sitting arrangement, she could not understand the reason for the change but her attempt to raise a point of order to seek explanations met a stiff resistance.
Akpabio, the presiding officer ruled her out of order in a manner that suggested that there was more to the change of seat than the authorities were ready to divulge.
Enraged by this attitude, Natasha rose to her feet, took hold of the microphone and protested openly, alleging that her relocation to another seat was in bad faith.
As they say, hell knows no furry like a woman scorned. She stated her case so strongly and angrily that sone of her colleague legislators moved towards her to calm her frayed. nerves.
But unknown to her, the audacity with which she made that open protest had angered the authorities who saw it an unruly behaviour.
There were suggestions that Natasha must be suspended there and then but a higher reasoning prevailed and her case was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. But everyone knew that giving the committee the task of investigating Natasha”s alleged unruly behaviour was a mere formality.
Hence when the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee rushed through the assignment and submitted its report even without hearing from Natasha, it was clear that it had done a hatchet job.
The speedy consideration of the report and the unanimous endorsement of its recommendations were therefore, no surprises.
It is no longer news that Natasha has been suspended for six months without pay.
In addition, her office has been sealed and she must not be found anywhere near the National Assembly or participate in any legislative activity of the Senate. Like an outcast she is going to live the next six months all alone, except for family, friends, well wishers and constituents.
This is not only cruel but a miscarriage of justice and an abuse of power. It is simply a way of saying to every lawmaker: Don’t dare the Senate or else we give you the Natasha treatment.
It is a pity that this is happening in Africa’s largest democracy and inside the National Assembly, the supposed bastion of that democracy. It is unfortunate that the Red Chamber took a decision to suspend Natasha without looking at the circumstances leading to her open protest during plrmenary on February 20, 2025.
While it is true that the Senate Standing. Rules give the Presiding Officer (Akpabio) the prerogative to allocate seats to lawnakers, the sane Standing Rules prescribed that the Clerk of the Senate should notify the affected lawmakers that their seats would be (or have been) changed to avoid confusion.
Where exactly did Natasha go wrong? Is it because she took the bull by the horns when she found herself in a tight corner or is it the sexual harassment allegation she made against Akpabio that turned the tide against her.
The puppets in the Ethics, Privileges annd Public Petitions Committee, claimed that the formal petition Natasha submitted on the sexual harrasment scandal was dead on arrival but that is against the rule of natural justice.
At least she submitted it a record two times and it was twice rejected by the chamber. How could the Standing Rules of the Senate be so stringent that a female lawmaker cannot ventilate her grievances but a male presiding officer could sit in judgement over his own case?
After all said and done, one is tempted to believe that patriarchy, male hegemony and male chauvinism may have worked against Natasha in this melodrama.
It is also possible that party affiliation and the rivalry that goes with it may have also been one of the factors at play. Akpabio, the man with the gavel belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Natasha belongs to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party in the country.
Obviuisoy, the Senate went on an over- drive when it slammed a sux- month suoension on Natasha. Is Akpabio and his other colleagues not aware of court judgements that said the Senate or House of Representatives does not have the powers to suspend a member of either of the chambers for more than two weeks?
The leadership of the Senate should know that by suspending Natasha for six months, it has automatically shut out the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District from the National Assembly for that period. It unfair, undemocratic and a miscarriage of justice which must not be allowed to stand in a civilised country. END
*Charles Nwokedi, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.
Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has reportedly died in the United Kingdom at the age of 77.
Sources revealed the development on Sunday, September 20, 2026, although details surrounding his reported death were still sketchy as of press time.
There was also no immediate official statement from the family confirming the report.
Idris, popularly known as “Ibro,” served as governor of Kogi State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 2003 to 2008 and again from 2008 to 2012.
He was succeeded by Captain Idris Wada in January 2012.
Born in Idah, Kogi State, in 1949, Idris had his early education in Onitsha, Anambra State, before continuing his primary education in Kano.
He later attended King’s Commercial College in Buguma, Rivers State, and obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Abuja.
Before entering politics, Idris built a career as a businessman.
He founded Ibro Trading Company, with interests spanning construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality.
He also established a furniture factory in Sokoto and the Ibro Hotel, which has been described in biographical accounts as one of the notable early three-star hotels in the former Sokoto State.
Idris emerged as the PDP candidate for the Kogi State governorship election in 2003 and defeated the incumbent governor, Prince Abubakar Audu.
He was sworn in as governor on May 29, 2003.
Although he was re-elected in 2007, the election was later nullified following a legal challenge over the exclusion of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate, Abubakar Audu.
The Court of Appeal upheld the decision in February 2008 and ordered a fresh election.
Idris subsequently contested the March 2008 re-run election and was returned as governor, although his victory was again challenged by Audu, who alleged electoral irregularities.
Idris completed his tenure in January 2012 and handed over to his successor, Captain Idris Wada.
Family tragedy
The former governor also attracted national attention in 2006 after three of his daughters survived the ADC Airlines Flight 53 crash, which claimed numerous lives.
Following the incident, Idris described the survival of his daughters as a “superlative show of mercy” from God and called for thanksgiving.
In April 2024, Idris suffered another major family loss when his son, Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, a former member of the House of Representatives, died in Abuja shortly after observing Eid-el-Fitr prayers.
Mohammed represented the Ankpa/Olamaboro/Omala Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. His death was confirmed by the Kogi State Government and reported by several Nigerian media organisations.
As of press time, confirmation of the reported death of the former governor from his family or an official source was still being awaited.
…says this loss to me is particularly poignant
A Board of Trustees, BoT member of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and 2027 Kogi West Senatorial candidate, Hon TeeJay Yusuf has expressed sadness over the demise of former Kogi Governor Ibrahim Idris.
Yusuf in a condolence message he personally signed said:
“I received with profound sadness the news of the passing of Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, former Governor of Kogi State.
“For me, this loss is particularly poignant. I had the privilege of knowing Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and crossing paths with him in the course of our political and public service journey in Kogi State.
“His presence in our political space, his experience, and his years of service gave him a distinctive place in the history of our state.
“Alhaji Ibrahim Idris leaves behind a significant political legacy. He was part of the generation of leaders who helped shape Kogi State’s political evolution and contributed to the development of our democratic institutions.
“His tenure and years of engagement in public affairs will remain important chapters in the story of Kogi State. Like every leader who serves in public life, his record will continue to be remembered, discussed, and assessed against the times in which he served.
“Beyond politics and the offices he held, he was a father, elder, leader, and statesman whose life touched many people. His departure is therefore a profound loss to his family, Kogi State, and the wider community of people who knew and respected him.
“I extend my deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, associates, and the entire people of Kogi State. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, accept his good deeds, and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus.
“May Allah grant his family the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
“May his memory remain a blessing, and may the legacy of his service continue to endure. Ameen.
News
NDLEA intercepts N3.4bn Loud, opioids, arrests fake police officer, mechanic-drug dealer(Photos)
. Recovers over 1.3 million pills of opioids, 6,000kg skunk; nabs two teenagers with AK-47 rifles, pistol and ammunition in sweeps across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Abuja, Gombe, Imo and Ondo
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted over 1.3 million pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 6,000 kilograms of potent strains of cannabis with a combined street value of more than N3.4 billion in a string of major operational breakthroughs across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT.
Top on the line up of successful operations was the interception of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 603.75 kilograms, valued at One Billion Eight Hundred and Eleven Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1,811,250,000), and the arrest of a trafficker who impersonates as a senior police officer to evade scrutiny at checkpoints while ferrying drugs across state lines.
The 49-year-old fake police officer Innocent Ekpe was arrested on Wednesday 16th September 2026 by NDLEA operatives along the Benin-Onitsha expressway in Asaba, Delta state with 292.48 kilograms of skunk hidden in his silver Toyota Sienna bus. Investigation established that Ekpe had long paraded himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged ID card to escape scrutiny at checkpoints while transporting illicit consignments. An accomplice, 39-year-old Nduka Joseph, was arrested along with him.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence stormed a location on Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai, who used his auto-repair workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs. Officers recovered 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud and 152 grams of methamphetamine, along with a metal box used to store the illicit substances.
At the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, and arrived on 12th September was placed under intensive monitoring by NDLEA operatives based on processed intelligence. The shipment was eventually subjected to a full joint physical examination with Customs and other security agencies on Wednesday 16th September. The search uncovered 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75 kilograms, concealed inside 31 black jumbo bags loaded within two Toyota Sienna vehicles in the container.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway at Chachi, Tafa LGA, on Tuesday 15th September arrested three young suspects: Bashir Usman (20), Abubakar Nuhu (18) and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab (18) with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.
Two suspects: Aminu Isyaku (23) and Jamilu Habibu (25) were on Friday 18th September arrested by NDLEA officers along Abaji-Abuja highway. Over 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets/capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks en route from Onitsha, Anambra state to Mararaba, Nasarawa state, were recovered from them.
In Lagos, a suspect Onyeka Ofor was arrested on Friday 18th September at his residence in Aguda, Surulere with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg , while seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg were intercepted at a logistics company with a suspect Luke Ugokwe taken into custody. In another operation in Lagos, Ibrahim Hudu (43) was arrested at Apongbo with 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas on Thursday 17th September.
A total of 154,480 capsules of tramadol were recovered from two suspects: Sabi’u Umar (27) and Hassana Muhammad (19) who were arrested at Barunde area and Gombe main market respectively in Gombe state on Friday 18th September.
A suspect Ifesinachi Godwin (25) was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha road, Imo state with 43.85kg of skunk on Friday 18th September, while four suspects: Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday, were nabbed during raid and destruction of 5,000 kilograms of skunk on a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu forest, Ondo state on Tuesday 15th September. No less than 48kg of dry and fresh cannabis was recovered from the location for the prosecution of the suspects.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of St. Ferdinand School, Ogbomoso, Oyo; Unizik Secondary School, Awka, Anambra; Scholars Nursery and Primary School, Epe, Lagos, and
Government Technical Training School, Jalingo, Taraba state, while the Delta Ports Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Delta state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Lagos, Tincan, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
Just in: Former Kogi Governor Ibrahim Idris reportedly dies in UK
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