By Laila St. Mathew Daniel.
Why is a highly competent woman in politics often feared?
The easy answer is gender. The more honest answer is disruption.
It is not her gender alone that unsettles the political space; it is what her competence exposes.
A woman who is highly educated, disciplined, focused, emotionally regulated, and results-driven introduces a new equation into power dynamics. She removes the option of underestimating her. And in many political environments, underestimation has long served as a subtle instrument of control.
In male-dominated systems, women are often unconsciously assigned roles: supportive, symbolic, negotiable, manageable. They are permitted to participate, but not necessarily to dominate. They are expected to complement authority, not compete with it.
But when a woman arrives strategic, sharp, persistent, and unbothered by approval, she forces the room into genuine competition. Not everyone is psychologically prepared for equality.
Politics thrives on hierarchy and perception. It rewards strength — but often strength that fits a familiar mold. When she performs exceptionally, she does more than succeed; she quietly exposes mediocrity.
A mediocre man is rarely threatened by a mediocre woman.
But a competent woman?
That destabilizes fragile ego structures.
There is also what might be called the “script problem.” Many political cultures operate on unwritten expectations about how women should lead: influence softly, defer strategically, negotiate indirectly, and temper firmness with charm.
When she is assertive without apology, firm without aggression, and principled without emotional volatility, she disrupts that script. And when scripts are disrupted, discomfort follows. In political arenas, discomfort often translates into resistance.
Fear rarely introduces itself by name. It disguises itself as criticism.
If a man is dogged, he is described as strong.
If she is dogged, she is labeled difficult.
If a man is focused, he is called visionary.
If she is focused, she is called intimidating.
What is sometimes described as “threatening” is simply confidence that cannot be controlled. And control, in politics, is currency.
A woman who cannot be flattered into compliance, pressured into silence, or emotionally manipulated into submission shifts the balance of power. That shift can feel dangerous to those who rely on inherited hierarchies for relevance.
Intellectual honesty, however, demands balance. Competence alone does not equal leadership. Coalition-building matters. Emotional intelligence matters. Strategic relationship management matters. Leadership is as much about persuasion as it is about performance.
Yet when competence is combined with composure and independence of mind, it becomes difficult to sideline. And what cannot be sidelined is often feared.
The reactions surrounding Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan provide a contemporary lens through which to examine this dynamic. Whether one agrees with her political positions or not, the intensity of the responses she provokes raises important questions about how competence in women is interpreted within political structures.
Is the opposition purely ideological? Or does it reflect discomfort with a woman who refuses to shrink?
History suggests this pattern is not new. Margaret Thatcher was once criticized as abrasive before being acknowledged as resolute. Angela Merkel was described as intimidating before being recognized as indispensable. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf endured skepticism before earning global respect. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala continues to face scrutiny that often extends beyond policy into personality.
In each case, competence did not silence criticism; it amplified it.
The real question, therefore, is not why a competent woman like Senator Natasha is feared.
The real question is this:
Why is equal capability still unsettling?
Until excellence in women is normalized rather than sensationalized, political institutions will continue to wrestle with their own contradictions.
Perhaps the discomfort says less about Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and more about systems still learning how to accommodate genuine equality.
– Laila St. Mathew Daniel sent this piece from Abuja.
