Natasha Akpoti
Natasha Akpoti | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of the 10th Nigeria National Assembly | |
| Assumed office November 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Abubakar Sadiku Ohere |
| Constituency | Kogi Central |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Natasha Hadiza Akpoti 9 December 1979 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Political party | People Democratic Party |
| Other political affiliations | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Barrister, politician |
| Known for | Revival of Ajaokuta Steel Mill |
| Website | natashaakpoti |
Natasha Hadiza Akpoti (born 9 December 1979) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who serves as a member of the 10th Nigeria National Assembly representing Kogi Central Senatorial District since 2023. A member of the People's Democratic Party, she is the first elected female senator in Kogi State.[1]
Born to a Nigerian father and Ukrainian mother, Akpoti was educated at the University of Abuja. Before joining politics and campaigning for senate during the 2019 Kogi State gubernatorial election under the Social Democratic Party,[2] she founded the Builders Hub Impact Investment Program (BHIIP). Akpoti was awarded the African Women Leadership Award by Jewel Taylor, the former vice president of Liberia. Following her activism for the revival of the Ajaokuta Steel Mill, she received the presidential award from the Nigerian Society of Engineers in December 2017. She was elected a senator under the People's Democratic Party in 2023.[3]
Early life and career
[edit]Early life and education
[edit]
Akpoti is the second of four children of Jimoh Abdul Akpoti, a Nigerian politician from Kogi State, and Ludmila Kravchenk, originally from Rakitna, Chernivtsi, Ukraine; the couple first met in the Soviet Union, where Jimoh was a medical student at Bogomolets National Medical University. Akpoti was born on 9 December 1979 in Ilorin, Kwara state,[1] but grew up in Ihima, Okehi.[4]
She attended her primary education at Christ the King School, Okene, Kogi State, and a brief secondary education at Government Girls Unity Secondary School in Oboroke, Kogi. She continued at Federal Government College, Idoani in Ondo state, where she graduated in 1997. Following her father's death on 3 November 1998,[5] the family relocated to Abuja; and she got admitted into the University of Abuja, where she obtained her bachelor's degree in law from 2000 to 2004. At 19, she got married and had a son, Daniel.
After her graduation from the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja, Akpoti was called to the Nigerian Bar by the Nigerian Body of Benchers on the 8 November 2005.[1] She started studying at the University of Dundee for her Master of Laws degree, which she obtained in 2011 as well as her MBA in Oil and Gas Management in 2012.[6] She is a mother of three children.[6] On 5 March 2022, she married Emmanuel Uduaghan in a marriage ceremony at Ihima.[7]
Early career (2007–2018)
[edit]Akpoti worked as a legal counsel at Brass LNG from 2007 to 2010. In 2015, she established Builders Hub Impact Investment Program.[5] She came to limelight when she presented an investigative report to the National Assembly on 1 March 2018 that exposed corruption at the Ajaokuta steel mill.[8] The report was opposed by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, accusing Akpoti of misinformation. Another group alleges that she is sponsoring a campaign.[9] After a legal hearing by the High Court sitting in Abuja, The Authority Newspaper, Ifeanyi Ubah and Williams Orji were ordered to pay 10 million naira to Akpoti for libelous publication against her.[10]
Nigerian Senator (2023–present)
[edit]Akpoti first contested as a Senator to represent Kogi Central senatorial district in the National Assembly under PDP. She lost the election to candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Abubakar Sadiku Ohere.[11]
Legal issues
[edit]In February 2025, Akpoti alleged on Arise TV that Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president sexually abused her on 8 December 2023.[12] The sexual harassment case escalated on 20 February 2025 after she confronted Akpabio for relocating her seat in the chamber through removing her name-plate,[13] and Akpabio has denied the allegations.[14]
Akpoti's petition on Akpabio's sexual harassment was summarily dismissed without investigation on the basis of a technicality, i.e. that she had "signed it herself".[15] The head of the Senate's Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Senator Imasuen described it as "dead on arrival." Akpoti later represented it with signatures from her constituents and she was told the Committee "would look at it."
On 6 March 2025, following the report from the Senate's Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Akpoti was suspended from the Nigerian Senate for six months for misconduct. The suspension cites her violation of Sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the 2023 Standing Orders of the Nigerian Senate, and includes lack of access to her office, salary, and security.[16][17] Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele also clarified that the suspension was due to Akpoti's "persistent acts of misconduct" including; refusing to sit in her assigned seat; speaking without recognition; engaging in disruptive behavior; and making abusive remarks against the leadership of the Senate.[18] She further presented her case in a United Nations forum, during the Women in Parliament session in New York, where she seeks international intervention on the accountability of the Nigerian Senate.[19]
Following Akpoti's suspension, many civil groups and individuals including the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organizations have called for a transparent investigation of the matter.[20] Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC also condemned the suspension, describing it as "disturbing and disrespectful to her constituents".[21]
Awards and honours
[edit]Akpoti was awarded the "Politician of the Year" in the 2023 Leadership Excellence Awards, an award run by Nigerian media newspaper, Leadership. She was called "a proven amazon in political circles".[22] In 2024, along Boma Goodhead, she was shortlisted for the African Iconic Women Recognition Awards (AIWRA).[23] She won the This Day Senator of the Year award in 2025.[24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Arogbonlo, Israel (2 November 2023). "SPOTLIGHT: Natasha Akpoti, Kogi's first elected female senator". Tribune Online. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
- ^ Agbana, Ralph Omolu (10 November 2019). "Aftermath of court victory, SDP candidate, Natasha Akpoti pushes poll postponement". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ Oyero, Kayode (2 November 2023). "Senate Swears In Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan As Kogi Central Senator". Channels Television. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
- ^ "Natasha Akpoti: I Learnt Community Building, Service to Humanity from My Father". This Day. 9 March 2019. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ a b Ujah, Emma (25 July 2018). "2019: Ajaokuta Steel campaigner, Natasha Akpoti, joins senate race". Vanguard. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Natasha Akpoti: I Learnt Community Building, Service to Humanity from My Father". This Day. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Oloniniran, Gbenga (5 March 2022). "Royal Wedding: Natasha Akpoti ties knot with Alema of Warri Kingdom". Punch Newspapers. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ "SPECIAL REPORT: Ajaokuta Steel Company, Natasha Akpoti, House Of Reps And The Acquisition Plot". Sahara Reporters. 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ Adoyi, Ali (3 February 2017). "Group clashes with Natasha Akpoti over alleged sponsored campaign on Ajaokuta Steel Company". Daily Post. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Top 5 influential female politicians in Nigeria you may not know". NewsWireNGR. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Ajayi, Faith (19 August 2023). "Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan beyond politics". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ "Again, Akpabio denies sexual harassment allegations, says Senate traumatised by Apoti-Uduagan's action". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Omokri shares video of Natasha accusing him of harassment amid Senate controversy". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Again, Akpabio denies sexual harassment allegations, says Senate traumatised by Apoti-Uduagan's action". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Akintade, Adefemola (6 March 2025). "Sexual Harassment Allegation: Senate committee recommends six-month suspension for Natasha Akpoti". Peoples Gazette Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Sulaimon, Adekunle (8 March 2025). "Natasha suspended for misconduct, not sexual assault allegation — Senate leader". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Akintade, Adefemola (6 March 2025). "Sexual Harassment Allegation: Senate committee recommends six-month suspension for Natasha Akpoti". Peoples Gazette Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ "Akpabio: Natasha not suspended for sexual harassment allegation — Senate". Vanguard News. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Reporters, Our (11 March 2025). "Natasha takes face-off with Senate to UN". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
- ^ Nwafor (6 March 2025). "Natasha vs Akpabio: CSOs call for transparency in senate investigation". Vanguard News. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Ajia, Jide (10 March 2025). "Natasha's suspension disrespectful to constituents, ultra vires - Atedo Peterside". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
- ^ Jeremiah, Urowayino (11 December 2023). "Senator Natasha named 2023 Politician of the Year". Vanguard News. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Daramola, Ayomikunle (5 May 2024). "Natasha Akpoti, Boma Goodhead shortlisted for African Iconic Women Recognition Awards". TheCable. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Jimoh, Yekini (28 January 2025). "Senator Natasha bags Senator of the Year award". Tribune Online. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Jeremiah, Urowayino (17 December 2023). "Senator Natasha bags People of the Year award". Vanguard News. Retrieved 14 March 2025.