Former Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has said the seat arrangement dispute between Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio should not be seen as a gender issue.
Shaibu shared his views on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, stressing that seats and offices in the National Assembly are privileges, not rights, and must be lobbied for.
“Interestingly, Natasha is my friend. Senator Akpabio, the president of the Senate, is my political leader,” Shaibu said.
“There are rules guiding the House. When I was in the National Assembly, it was the prerogative of the leadership of the House to allocate offices and seats. There is what is called lobbying; you lobby for everything.
“For you to have a good office when you come in, maybe because of my experience as a two-term member of Edo State House of Assembly, when I came to Abuja from day one, I went quickly to lobby, to check the kind of offices and their locations.
“I was able to lobby for my office close to where I wanted it. I hurriedly lobbied for where I wanted to sit, whereas some first-timers didn’t know they had to lobby for things like that.
“There are rules; the rules of the House are clear and must guide everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman. The rules apply to all.
“The issue of seats and offices is a privilege. For me, I don’t think this is a gender thing; I believe there is some miscommunication, and we should follow the rules of the House. The rules are not meant for women alone, nor are they meant for men alone.”
The seat dispute erupted on February 20, 2025, when Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, rejected the seat assigned to her in the red chamber and challenged Akpabio’s directive.
The female senator accused the Senate President of harassment and has filed a N100 billion defamation suit against him. In response, the Akpabio-led Senate referred her to the Senate disciplinary committee.
The conflict adds to their history, as Akpabio had previously apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan in July 2024 over a nightclub comment he made about her.
