Betty Akeredolu, the wife of the late former Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, has sharply criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio for involving his wife in his ongoing dispute with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, calling it “highly disingenuous.”
In a statement shared on her official X handle on Sunday, Akeredolu condemned Akpabio’s actions, stating that in more developed societies, he would have stepped down to clear his name, rather than deflecting responsibility and dragging his wife into the matter.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the reassignment of Senator Natasha’s seat without her knowledge, Akeredolu argued that the practice was wrong, disrespectful, and a violation of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s rights.
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Akeredolu wrote, “In more civilised climes, Akpabio would have, by now, stepped down from office to clear his name and fight his battle. Drafting his wife to fight Senator Natasha is highly disingenuous and an attempt to dodge the bullets, thereby throwing his wife under the bus. Dem miss road be dat!”
She continued, “In the first instance, reassigning seats without one’s knowledge is wrong! It’s disrespectful and infringes on one’s rights. Even if it had been done in the past and men, for whatever reason, cowardly decided to keep mute, but a bold Natasha, belled the cat by saying in unequivocal terms that it was wrong, and we took notice. A wrong approach can be corrected no matter how long it had been applied. That’s the argument.”
Akeredolu also criticised those who had blamed Natasha for being “sentimental,” calling it a “pointless argument.” She praised Natasha’s courage, writing, “Natasha voiced her frustration, ‘having endured a lot,’ according to her. That’s courage! That’s the kind of women we should support to represent us at the National Assembly.”
Akeredolu further emphasised the mistreatment of Nigerian women, pointing out the country’s poor representation of women in politics. “Is it not a BIG SHAME that Nigeria has only 4 female senators out of 109?” she asked.
She commended Natasha for speaking out, comparing her to Rosa Parks, and called on Nigerian women to rally behind her fight for representation. “We sure needed Natasha’s outburst for the country to take a second look at the National Assembly and know what is happening in those chambers,” Akeredolu stated.
She concluded by encouraging Nigerian women to support Natasha and called for more women like her in future elections. “Good girls don’t get corner offices,” she quoted Kenyan female legislator Millie Odiambo.
