We’ve to follow the rules – Ireti Kingibe opens up on Natasha’s clash with Akpabio

By Ayorinde Oluokun/ABUJA

Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP, FCT), has said failure of her counterpart, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to follow rules was responsible for her clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangements in the red chamber.

Kingibe spoke on Friday during an interview on Arise TV.

She was reacting to the February 20 clash between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan during plenary over seating arrangements in the Senate.

However, Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier told Arise TV on Friday that she started having problems with Akpabio after he refused his sexual advances.

But appearing later on the same television station, Kingibe, who did not absolve Akpabio of the sexual allegation, faulted Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reaction to the change of her seat by the Senate President.

The Labour Party lawmaker also said her seat and those of many of her colleagues have been changed many times in the past.

She added that the Senate is not a place for fighting over trivialities like seating arrangements.

“Silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules. And as women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her; and we were hoping all of this will blow over, as a lot of things do,” Kingibe said.

“This is about the rules of the senate. So if I can point out that other women have been moved several times. On that day, I wasn’t there, but I gathered that several men were also moved.”

She added that the Akpabio has been responsive to complaints by female lawmakers, though the senate is “not gender friendly”, it has been improving.

“When we make a fuss and draw the attention of the senate president, he corrects it,” she said.

“Truly, the senate can do better than it’s doing, but there’s hardly anything that’s been done to us that’s not done to other men.

Kingibe added that the Akpoti-Uduaghan received most privileges among the four female senators in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

“Senator Natasha has gotten the most privileges among all four of us (female senators). The seat I sit on now has been moved four times.

“I want women to know we have to follow the rules of the institution we chose to enter, and that is mostly the point of this visit here.”

Kingibe said she is not that close to Akpabio to discuss the subject of sexual harassment as alleged by Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“I collected some documents for senator Natasha, informed her and went to her house. She told me that she was supposed to discuss something with Akpabio but he said to meet him at a hotel,” Kingibe added.