There was a brief moment of dramatic laughter in the Senate on Tuesday when Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan coincidentally marked their birthdays on the same day.
Akpabio turned 63, while Natasha, who represents Kogi Central, celebrated her 46th birthday.
As part of Senate tradition, Akpabio usually reads out the names of lawmakers celebrating birthdays and offers good wishes.
But things took an interesting turn when Akpabio mentioned his own name first, followed by that of Senator Jarigbe, and then paused for a long while smiling before saying, “and another person, Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
The chamber immediately erupted in laughter as lawmakers noticed the Senate President smiling while calling Natasha’s name.
The development was significant against the backdrop of not-so-warm relationship between the duo in recent months.
Just last week, Natasha confirmed that Akpabio had slammed her with a ₦200 billion lawsuit over her sexual harassment allegation.
Natasha had earlier been suspended from the Senate for six months for misconduct linked to a dispute over seating arrangements that escalated during plenary.
Though she raised allegations against Akpabio in February, the Senate leadership insisted her suspension was strictly due to violations of the rules.
Since returning to the chamber on October 7, Natasha has been visibly quieter compared to her earlier, more outspoken days.
Both lawmakers have also avoided public interactions as much as possible. [With GWG report]
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