In a recent interview on Arise TV, Senator Natasha Akpoti made fresh allegations against the Senate President, claiming that he personally called her in the early hours of July 23, 2024, in an attempt to placate her amid growing controversy over his nightclub comments.
According to Akpoti, the first call came at 12:14 AM from Senator Michael Bamidele, a typically composed and well-respected figure. She suspected he was under pressure when he warned her that if the Senate President were forced to resign over the controversy, he too would face consequences. That conversation lasted just over two minutes before another call came at 12:26 AM—this time from the Senate President himself.
Referring to her as the “Princess of the Senate,” he allegedly expressed distress over the backlash, revealing that his wife had been unable to sleep for days due to the insults directed at their family. He also mentioned that the Dein of Agbor had advised him to leave Abuja to avoid being targeted during an anti-government protest scheduled for August 1st.
“This shocked me because Senator Michael Bamidele is someone I deeply respect. He is usually calm and a good friend, so I believe he must have been under pressure to say what he did. The first call lasted just 2 minutes and 33 seconds. Then, at 12:26 AM, my phone rang again. This time, it was the Senate President. He said, ‘Princess of the Senate’—that’s how he casually refers to me—‘You know, I’m under attack. My wife hasn’t slept for days; she’s been crying because of this. She has received countless insults—all because of you.’
“I told him, ‘No, sir, it’s not because of me. It’s because of you. I didn’t force you to make that statement, and I certainly didn’t orchestrate the public backlash.’ He then said that a traditional ruler, the Dein of Agbor, had advised him to leave Abuja because he had become one of the most disliked politicians in Nigeria. The ruler cautioned him that if he stayed in the capital during the planned August 1st protest against bad governance, he could be a target.”
According to Akpoti, the Senate President found this warning insulting. He then allegedly declared, “Natasha, if anyone over the age of 20 dares to challenge me during that protest, I will take that person down.”
“At that point, I started shouting again. My husband, who had been awake since the first call, was listening on speakerphone. Realizing this, the Senate President abruptly changed his tone and said, ‘Oh, Alma, I have a political appointment slot for someone from Delta State. Why don’t you nominate someone?’
“I grabbed the phone and responded, ‘Sir, you cannot threaten me on one hand and then try to appease me with an appointment on the other. I know that the DSS and other security agencies have the tools to retrieve these conversations from WhatsApp records, and I am prepared to publish them.’”
