Natasha Akpoti: I’m pleased with my confrontation with Nwebonyi – Oby Ezekwesili

Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of education, , has defended her confrontation with Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi at a Senate Committee hearing on Tuesday, stating that the incident exposed the struggles women face in a patriarchal society.

Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, Ezekwesili recounted the events that unfolded during the Senate panel’s deliberation on the sexual harassment allegations involving suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

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“In this society, there is a historic attitude to voice; not just the voice of women but those who say that they do not agree with a situation or who, like me, are persistent in demanding public accountability from those that lead an institution that belongs to the society,” she said.

She added, “It is a historic, more or less, function. And so, that attitude pervades the way our lawmakers are behaving. I was actually very pleased with what happened yesterday because now it is in the public domain what women endure in many instances, and the rest of society may know little about it but has not focused on it.”

The confrontation occurred on Tuesday at the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions hearing in Abuja, where Ezekwesili and Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, counsel for Akpoti-Uduaghan, represented the Kogi lawmaker.

The session quickly descended into a heated exchange between Ezekwesili and Nwebonyi, resulting in a shouting match filled with name-calling and gender-based insults.

Ezekwesili also criticised Senator Nedamwem Imasuen, the committee chairman, accusing him of bias and arguing that he should recuse himself to ensure fairness. She also accused the Senate of sidestepping the sexual harassment allegations, insisting that Akpoti-Uduaghan must get justice.

Ezekwesili maintained that she was demanding public accountability and that society must resist any attempts to silence those who speak out. “The society should not allow any group or persons, no matter how powerful they are, to shut the voices of accountability,” she asserted.