The Nigerian Senate has always been a place of power plays, grandstanding, and political maneuvering, but what has been unfolding recently is beyond the usual theatrics. It is a full-blown display of arrogance, misogyny, and unchecked impunity, all wrapped in the figure of Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, the Deputy Chief Whip from Ebonyi State.
Ever since Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, Nwebonyi has taken it upon himself to be Akpabio’s attack dog, insulting, ridiculing, and demeaning anyone who dares to speak up. He has not only belittled Natasha but has gone as far as dragging her personal life into the mud, making unverified and highly offensive claims on national television that she has six children from six different fathers. A blatant lie. A statement meant not just to discredit her but to reduce her to nothing more than a caricature in the eyes of the public. And for what? To shield his benefactor?
But Nwebonyi’s penchant for talking down on women didn’t stop there. During a Senate Ethics Committee hearing meant to investigate Natasha’s allegations, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister and World Bank director, was in attendance. A woman who has served this country at the highest levels. But to Nwebonyi, none of that mattered. He stood there, in the Senate chamber, and called her “a disgrace to womanhood” simply because she had the audacity to lend her voice to the issue at hand. And when confronted, his defense? That he was a sitting senator, and Ezekwesili was just a former minister. As though the seat he occupies gives him the right to talk down on accomplished women like they are mere inconveniences to his comfort.
“She was a mere former minister, and I am a sitting senator. She is not my mate,” Nwebonyi boasted, as though political office is a badge of superiority rather than a call to service. The arrogance dripped from his words, and in that moment, he made it clear that to him, respect is not earned it is dictated by the temporary power of a political seat.
This is not just a one-off incident of a senator losing his temper. This is a pattern. A repeated, intentional effort to silence women, discredit them, and uphold the worst kind of political boys’ club culture. Nwebonyi speaks with the entitlement of someone who knows there will be no consequences for his actions. Because in his mind, the Senate belongs to men like him men who believe that power is theirs to wield unchecked, who think that raising their voices louder than everyone else means they have won the argument.
But this is bigger than Nwebonyi. His behavior is a symptom of a deep-rooted rot within Nigeria’s political system one that thrives on silencing, humiliating, and intimidating women who refuse to shrink themselves. How many times have we seen this play out? From Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, who was beaten and humiliated for daring to challenge colonial authorities, to Dora Akunyili, who faced relentless attacks for cleaning up NAFDAC. Even Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was not spared, as political figures hurled insults at her while she tried to salvage Nigeria’s economy. This is a country where female politicians are not debated on their ideas but on their marital status, their personal lives, their looks.
And now, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has joined that long list. She is being vilified, not because her claims have been proven false, but because she dared to make them in the first place. The Senate, instead of addressing the issue with fairness and integrity, has become a hostile battlefield where those in power protect each other at all costs, even if it means destroying a woman’s reputation in the process.
The suspension of Natasha following her allegations was the ultimate slap in the face. It sends a clear message to women in politics: stay silent or be punished. And if you dare to speak, men like Nwebonyi will be waiting, ready to drag your name through the dirt while the system looks the other way.
The question is, will the Senate allow this kind of behavior to continue? Will there be consequences for a man who has turned the Red Chamber into a playground for insults and gutter politics? Or will they look the other way, as they often do when one of their own crosses the line?
Nigeria is watching. Women across this country are watching. The impunity with which Senator Nwebonyi has conducted himself should not go unchecked. If the Senate does nothing, if they let him walk away from this without even a slap on the wrist, then they are sending a message loud and clear: that this is a place where power trumps decency, where arrogance is rewarded, and where women who dare to speak out will always be met with scorn.
If the Nigerian Senate has any dignity left, it must act. Not just for Natasha. Not just for Ezekwesili. But for every woman who has been silenced, ridiculed, and pushed aside because men like Nwebonyi believe they can get away with it. This is the moment to prove that the Red Chamber is not a sanctuary for misogyny. If they fail, history will not forget. And neither will Nigerian women.
Stephanie Shaakaa
University of Agriculture Makurdi,
Benue State.
