Nigeria is navigating serious internal and external challenges that demand unity, accountability, and courage from all of us. No single individual holds the solution to our national problems. Progress requires collective effort — citizens and leaders alike doing their part with integrity.
In previous matters involving Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate leadership, I chose restraint. I did so deliberately because I did not have full insight into the circumstances. I believe in speaking only when sufficiently informed. Responsible citizenship requires fairness, not impulse.
However, the recent committee session involving the Honourable Minister of Power presented a situation I personally observed. What occurred went beyond firm disagreement. It reflected a level of public disregard that, in my view, crossed the boundary between robust debate and visible disrespect.
Democracy thrives on scrutiny. It depends on questioning. It requires oversight. But it must also uphold dignity.
No elected representative is above correction. Where errors occur, they should be addressed through procedure, reason, and institutional discipline. Yet correction must never descend into conduct that appears personal, punitive, or humiliating.
This concern is not about blind loyalty. It is about principle.
When exchanges in the Senate give the impression of hostility rather than engagement, public confidence is affected. More concerning is the broader message such incidents send — particularly to women across Nigeria who aspire to leadership. If outspoken female lawmakers are perceived to be treated with disproportionate resistance, it risks discouraging participation in governance at a time when inclusive representation is essential for national progress.
Strength of character does not eliminate human limits. Even the strongest voices deserve fairness within institutional spaces.
As a woman and as a citizen, I believe that injustice toward one representative is a matter worthy of collective reflection. Supporting leaders when they are right and questioning them when they are wrong is a civic duty. Silence in the face of perceived unfairness is not neutrality; it is avoidance.
I speak because democracy must remain anchored in debate — not disrespect.
– Princess Grace Iyeh Adejoh
Former Kogi Governorship Aspirant
