Embattled Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has tendered a sarcastic apology to Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the sexual harassment allegations she previously levelled against him.
The letter, which was made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, comes amid ongoing legal battles between both politicians and shortly after Akpabio travelled to Rome to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral.
Natasha Akpoti, who was suspended from the Senate on March 6 following a clash over a controversial new seating arrangement, had earlier accused Akpabio of punishing her for rejecting his alleged sexual advances.
She also raised the matter at an international forum during the Women in Parliament session at the United Nations’ Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in New York, calling for global intervention.
In her latest move, the senator penned a satirical apology letter to Akpabio, stating she regretted her “crime of possessing dignity and self-respect” in his presence.
She mockingly expressed sorrow for refusing to comply with alleged “requests,” insisting her political success was earned by competence rather than “capitulation.”
The letter read;
“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 recognise 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.”
