The controversy surrounding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio has taken a dramatic turn on Sunday.
The suspended lawmaker, in a recent development, sparked widespread public reaction after posting a satirical ‘apology’ letter on her Facebook page, addressed directly to Akpabio.
While the letter, dripping with sarcasm, appeared to mock the pressures and criticisms she has faced since bringing her allegations to light, many have mistaken it for an actual apology to the Senate President.
The ‘Apology’
As pressure mounts for the embattled senator to apologise to the Senate over her suspension and topical issue of sexual harassment allegation against Akpabio appears to have lost momentum, the senator used the “apology” to underline what she described as the absurdity of the situation, highlighting issues of gender bias, political intimidation, and the broader culture of impunity in Nigeria’s leadership.
Her post quickly went viral, drawing a flood of reactions online. Many netizens praised her courage and cleverness in standing her ground, while others accused her of politicizing a sensitive issue.
The letter was posted directly by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan on her Facebook page, confirming that it is genuine.
However, there is no evidence that it was intended as a sincere apology. Instead, its tone, language and title, and references make clear that it was meant as a satirical criticism.
The Intention
Although presented as an apology, the letter is actually a sharp critique, raising issues about power dynamics, entitlement, and misconduct in political spaces.
In the letter, Akpoti-Uduaghan sarcastically apologised for maintaining her dignity and refusing to meet what she described as inappropriate expectations. She opined that, in some political environments, advancement is not based on merit but on willingness to meet personal demands.
“I must apologise for prioritising competence over capitulation, vision over vanity, and the people’s mandate over private dinners behind closed doors,” the statement partly reads.
According to her, political seats in the country are not won by election, instead by ‘erection’, saying: “I mistakenly believed that my seat in the Senate was earned through elections, not erections.”
Going by the above, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan did post an “apology” to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, but it was just satirical as it was tagged, which simply implies a mockery rather than actual apology.
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then