Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, apologised to his colleague, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi-Central), over the comment he made last week about the Senate not being a nightclub.
“Distinguished Senator Natasaha, I want to apologise to you.
“The interest shown in the social media shows that we have enemies. I felt I should tender a public apology to you. I do not mean any harm. People should concentrate on things that will move this country forward.
“Social media handlers should practice with decorum. We won’t out of anger regulate social media”, Akpabio said, addressing the Kogi State lawmaker on the floor of the Senate in Abuja on Tuesday.
Recall that while the Senate was debating a road transport bill on Thursday last week, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan continuously interjected after she had exhausted her time of debate while Akpabio was speaking.
The Senate President, in an apparent bid to caution her, asked her to stop shouting, as the Senate chamber was not a nightclub.
Akpabio’s comment went viral on the social media with most commentators abusing the Senate President for using derogatory words in the circumstances of the exchange with Akpoti-Uduaghan, a married woman.
While relaying his experience of the fallout to senators on Tuesday, Akpabio said his wife called him, having received so many telephone calls from people, saying that he denigrated a married woman.
Akpabio, who insisted that his comments were misunderstood, especially by the social media, said as a father of daughters and a husband, he would not intentionally denigrate a woman, adding, “I meant no harm.”
He further remarked that no matter the approach he used in addressing Akpoti-Uduaghan, the social media would still likely find a way to take it out of context.
He said if he had said the Senate was not a village square, it would still have been interpreted to mean that he called Akpoti-Uduaghan a “village woman.”
Akpabio recalled how the same social media had been awash with stories that he had many girlfriends, adding, “I have only one wife and she is enough for me.”
The Senate President spoke further, “Social media handlers should practice with decorum. We won’t out of anger regulate social media.”
However, Akpabio noted that the positive side of the experience was the proof that Nigerians paid very good attention to the proceedings of the Senate and the impact the lawmakers made on their lives.
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