By Shine Alagba
Social media are abuzz following the viral video featuring Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s controversial remarks about Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan during a Senate session on Thursday, July 18.
In the video, Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed her concerns about a bill under consideration, saying, “Mr. President, we don’t want the bill to be killed; we just want a bit of clarification. We don’t want the bill killed, but it should be slightly modified.”
However, the Senate President did not recognize her before she made the statement, following established protocol.
In response, Akpabio interrupted, stating the procedural norms of the chamber, saying,”In this chamber, you have to be recognised before you speak.”
After Akpoti-Uduaghan had apologized, Akpabio hurled back, “We are not in a nightclub.”
Persecondnews recalls that the incident occurred during a debate on the National Road Transportation Council (Establishment) Bill, 2024.
The bill aims to regulate Nigeria’s road transport industry and the transport profession.
The incident has sparked debate, with netizens criticizing Akpabio’s comments as derogatory and dismissive.
Some people have suggested that such a comment would not have been directed at a male senator, giving it a sexist undertone.
Critics argue that this behaviour discourages women’s participation in politics, especially in a Senate with only four female members out of 106.
One user in a post on the social media platform X said: “This man has no respect for women senators. I viewed it as a derogatory statement for using a nightclub in his speech because she’s a female senator.”
Another user posted: “I am trying to reconcile the choice of words used by Akpabio in addressing a fellow colleague as if he owns the NA; is it only females that go to clubhouses? What kind of gender superiority and insensitivity is this?”
Another commentator rose in defence of Akpabio: “He may mean no harm and is not targeted at women. But he was only saying that there must be order in the chamber, unlike a clubhouse.”
Advocates for gender equality in politics emphasized the importance of encouraging women to participate in governance roles.
Incidents like this, they argue, serve to deter women from aspiring to such positions and entrench gender disparity in political representation.
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