“Senator Natasha enjoys more privileges than other female senators” – Ireti Kingibe.

Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has disputed allegations made by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.

Akpoti-Uduaghan recently accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment and claimed that other female senators, including Kingibe, had not supported her in her ordeal.

Speaking on Arise TV, Kingibe countered Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, stating that Akpabio actually favours her more than any other female senator.

Kingibe explained that she had attempted to reach out to Akpoti-Uduaghan to discuss the seating arrangement controversy but was rebuffed.

She noted that Akpoti-Uduaghan enjoys special privileges from the Senate leadership, unlike other female senators.

Her words: “The reason you’ve heard it said everywhere, that the three women in the Senate have been silent, yes, because silence is golden, especially when one of us is not following the rules.

And as women, we did not want to come out publicly to say anything negative about her, and we were hoping all of this would blow over as a lot of things do.

“Now, the truth of the matter is, yes, the Senate is not gender friendly, but it has been improving much better than when we first entered the Senate, I must say.

“And the truth of the matter is, when we make a first and we draw the attention of the Senate president, he does correct it. Truly the Senate can do better than he’s doing, but there’s hardly anything that’s been done to us that’s not done to other men.

“It is more appropriate to say that the Senate is not opposition-friendly. Now, the Senate leadership may not be gender friendly, but I must say, the majority of the senators, they are very kind, and they are conciliatory to us. They look out for the fact that women. Almost all of them have been there before. They guide us on – do it like this, do it that way.

“And slowly, even I, I can say without anybody repudiating that fact that I am the singular senator that fights the senate president the most. But I have learned to do it.

“If it arises on plenary, I deal with it there, especially when it’s on issues to do with my constituency when it’s on other issues of privileges, I go and meet him when all the senators are in the dining room, and I fight with him there and get the support of other senators.

“The Senate is a place where the majority takes the day. So then also, I want to say something – us women in the Senate, in fact, to be honest, Senator Natasha has gotten the most privilege of all the four of us.