A former Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, says the seat association row between Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio shouldn’t be diminished to a gender affair.
Shaibu, who spoke on Channels Tv’s Dawn Day by day programme on Wednesday, stated seats and places of work of federal lawmakers are privileges and never rights. In response to him, seats and places of work should be lobbied for by federal lawmakers.
The previous deputy governor as soon as occupied the Etsako Federal constituency Home of Representatives seat within the Nationwide Meeting from June 2015 to March 2016. Earlier than then, he spent eight years on the Edo state Home of Meeting as a lawmaker.
Shaibu stated, “Curiously, Natasha is my good friend. Senator Akpabio, the president of the Senate, is my political chief.
“There are guidelines guiding the Home. Once I was within the Nationwide Meeting, it was the prerogative of the management of the Home to allocate workplace and to allocate seats, and within the Home, there may be what is known as lobbying; you foyer for the whole lot.”
He stated, “So that you can have an excellent workplace whenever you are available in, possibly due to my expertise as a two-term member of Edo State Home of Meeting, once I got here to Abuja from day 1, I went shortly to foyer, to verify the sort of places of work that they’ve areas and areas.
“I used to be in a position to foyer to have my workplace near the place I wished it, I used to be in a position to hurriedly foyer for the place I wished to sit down. Whereas some people who find themselves coming for the primary time didn’t know that you just foyer for issues like that.
“There are guidelines; the foundations of the Home if clear and also you should be guided by them, it doesn’t imply whether or not you’re a man or a lady. The principles are meant for the Home.
“The problem of seats and places of work are a privilege. For me, I don’t assume it is a gender factor; I feel there’s a miscommunication someplace and we should always abide by the foundations of the Home, and the foundations are clear and the foundations are usually not meant for ladies nor are they meant for males.”
On February 20, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, rejected her assigned seat within the crimson chamber and challenged the Senate President’s order.
The feminine senator accused the senate president of harassment and slammed a N100bn alleged defamation swimsuit towards him whereas the Akpabio-led higher legislative chamber has referred her to the senate disciplinary committee.
In July 2024, Akpabio apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan over his nightclub remark towards the feminine lawmaker.
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