Natasha Akpoti Archives | Trendbrio.com

Okonjo-Iweala, Sen. Natasha, Others Bag Arise News Awards

Our Reporters3 days ago3 days ago03 mins

World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and other bagged Arise News Women Making Impact awards in Lagos on Monday. The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on 29 November by consensus to reappoint Iweala as Director-General for a second four-year term, set to begin on 1 September 2025. This decision reflects broad recognition of her exceptional leadership and strategic vision for the future of the WTO. The reappointment process, initiated on 8 October 2024, was overseen by Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, Chair of the General Council. With no additional nominations submitted by the 8 November deadline, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala stood as the sole candidate. The process was conducted in a fully open and transparent manner, adhering to the WTO’s “Procedures for the Appointment of Directors-General” (WT/L/509). Similarly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended for six months after submitting a petition was among the awardees. Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was being punished for speaking out against the system and that she now feared for her and her two-year-old’s safety as her security detail had been stripped. “The Nigerian Senate operates like a cult. The Senate president runs the Senate like a dictator, not a democrat. There is no freedom of speech, there is no freedom of expression and anyone who dares to go against him gets cut to size,” the 45-year-old said in the first TV interview since her suspension. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alleged that the sexual harassment started in 2023, when she visited Akpabio’s country home with her husband. She said the Akpabio “squeezed her hand suggestively” and said “I will make an opportunity for us to come here and have a good moment”. Akpoti-Uduaghan one of four female senators in a parliament of 109 members and she is also the first female senator in her state. Akpoti-Uduaghan told the BBC that she no longer had access to security as a result of the suspension.

Senator Natasha Returns to Senatorial District Tuesday

Our Reporters3 days ago3 days ago01 mins

Senator representing Kogi Central District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduagban, will on Tuesday be recieve to a grand reception by her constituency, Trendbrio.com have gathered. The Home Coming at the instance of the Kogi Central Contituents is slated to commence at 9am Nigeria time. A backer of the embattled Senator, Dr Oby Ezekwesili announced the grand reception via her twitter handle on Monday. Her words,”Great to see that Senator Natasha Akpoti is being welcomed home by her constituents. “That’s awesome! “Legitimacy of any elective position is conferred only by the people one represents. “Kudos to the Good People of Kogi Central for standing by their legitimate representative.”

Natasha Will Not Walking Alone -Oby Ezekwesili

Our Reporters3 days ago3 days ago03 mins

Former Minster of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili assured that embattled Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will not walk alone in the struggle for a just society. Ezekwesili, also an erstwhile Minister of Solid Mineral, gave this assurance in a post on her official twitter handle on Monday. She wrote; “This morning, I again remembered the all- time quote of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan: ‘This Injustice shall not be sustained.’ “I agree. Societies that have kept sustaining injustice are the ones that are stuck in lowest economic growth, pernicious poverty and widespread inequality. So, we should all not agree for the injustice being inflicted on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to be sustained. “Can the Senate and Senator Godswill Akpabio tell Nigerians why they have persisted in denying their courageous colleague, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the right to fair hearing and impartial investigation of her Sexual Harassment petition against the Senate President? “Why is Senator Akpabio obstructing every opportunity for an impartial Senate inquiry into this matter? Why is he dodging the opportunity that can help him prove his innocence of the serious allegation leveled by his female colleague? “Why are Senator Akpabio’s colleagues in the Senate supporting such obstruction in gross violation of the same “Senate Rules” they used in illegally suspending Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan?,” She queried. Ezekwesili also emphasised that the Senate cannot pretend to be “moving on” regarding this case, saying the injustice cannot be sustained. “There’s no “moving on” possible without accountability, transparency and due process on this case of massive abuse of power by our country’s #3 top ranking public figure. “Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan is never walking alone on this case. “Never,” She exclaimed.

INEC Makes U-turn, Accepts Senator Natasha Recall Petition

Our Reporters1 week ago1 week ago02 mins

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that the contacts of the petitioners for the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have been provided. The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun stated this in a statement issued on Wednesday. “Further to the statement issued yesterday, Tuesday 25th March 2025, the Commission hereby confirms that the contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission dated today Wednesday 26th March 2025. “As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the Senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address. The same letter has been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website. “The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the Constituency. This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission. “We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent,” the statement reads.

INEC Rejects Senator Natasha Akpoti Recall

Our Reporters1 week ago1 week ago05 mins

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the recall process of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District at the 10th Assembly. The Commission’s National Commissioner & Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated this in a statement signed and made available on Tuesday. Olumekun revealed that the Commission held its regular weekly meeting on Tuesday 25th March 2025. Among other issues, the meeting discussed the petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District. “The process of recall is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 as well as the Commission’s detailed Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, available on our website. All petitions will be treated in strict compliance with the legal framework. “The petition from Kogi Central Senatorial District was accompanied by six bags of documents said to be signatures collected from over half of the 474,554 registered voters spread across 902 Polling Units in 57 Registration Areas (Wards) in the five Local Government Areas of Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene. “The Commission’s immediate observation is that the representatives of the petitioners did not provide their contact address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address(es) in the covering letter forwarding the petition through which they can be contacted as provided in Clause 1(f) of our Regulations and Guidelines. The address given is “Okene, Kogi State”, which is not a definite location for contacting the petitioners. Only the telephone number of “the lead petitioner” is provided as against the numbers of all the other representatives of the petitioners. “The Commission wished to reiterate that the recall of a legislator is the prerogative of registered voters in a constituency who sign a petition indicating loss of confidence in the legislator representing them. Once the petition meets the requirements of submission, as contained in our regulations, the Commission shall commence the verification of the signatures in each Polling Unit in an open process restricted to registered voters that signed the petition only. The petitioners and the member whose recall is sought shall be at liberty to nominate agents to observe the verification, while interested observers and the media will also be accredited. At each Polling Unit, signatories to the petition shall be verified using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). “Consequently, if the petitioners fully comply with the requirements of Clause 1(f) of the Regulations and Guidelines regarding the submission of their petition, the Commission will announce the next steps in line with the extant laws, regulations and guidelines. In the absence of a definite contact address, the Commission is making efforts to use other means to notify the representatives of the petitioners of the situation,” the statement reads. The Commission reassured the public that it will be guided by the legal framework for recall. The public should therefore discountenance any speculations and insinuations in the social media.

National Assembly: Senator Natasha apologies to Oby Ezekwesili

Our Reporters1 week ago1 week ago02 mins

Suspended Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has apologied to the former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili following a heated exchange with Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, senator representing Ebonyi North, during a senate hearing on Tuesday. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan took to her official twitter handle now X to tender the unreserved apology. “Ma’am, I apologise for the insults. Know you took them for me… for us … as a mother and as a leader. Know that you are a true icon of integrity, courage, and visionary leadership. “Your unwavering commitment to good governance, education and democracy continues to inspire generations. “A champion of accountability… “Nigerians appreciate you. “I celebrate your brilliance, resilience and selfless service. “You are a hero,” she stated. In her response, Dr. Ezekwesili wrote; “Very kind words, dear Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan “Yet to me, a torrent of insults from any source is but a little price to pay in our resolve to see a Nigerian that Becomes. “Our daughters and granddaughters must never inherit battles and wars we should have fought and won for them. “An unjust society that silences women and vulnerable people can never Become. “We all must refuse that for Nigeria. “We STAND ON!”