You know dat kain strong woman wey no dey fear anybody? Dat na Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for you! Dis woman no be small pikin, na senator wey represent Kogi Central, and before she enter politics, she don already dey hustle as businesswoman and activist. She no carry last when e come to courage, because she face all dem big politicians for her state win her seat like say na WWE wrestling match.

For Nigeria politics, if you no get “godfather,” dem fit try use you play. Natasha marry Chief Emmanuel Uduaghan, who na close friend to Senate President Godswill Akpabio. At first, you go think say dis connection go make life sweet for am for Senate, but e get as e be!

How dis matter take start? Chill make I gist you.

One February morning for 2025, Akpabio wake up, con begin dey rearrange seat for senate like say na him parlour. Him no tell Natasha before him shift her from her fine seat to one seat wey dey for corner wey be like say e dey near toilet. Natasha see am, she vex. She stand up for Senate chamber, shout say, “I no go move from here! You dey punish me because I no gree do your bidding!”

Senate people no con like dat kind talk! Dem con accuse am sey she break rules, con carry her case throway give Ethics Committee—like primary school teacher for headmaster office.

But Natasha no be woman wey go keep quiet. Few days after di seat wahala, she carry her matter go Arise Television, drop bomb wey make everybody mouth open like say dem dey chop agbado. She talk say Akpabio don try to toast am for him house for December 2023! According to her, the man hold her hand, tell am say if she wan her motions to pass for Senate, she must “take care of him” You know wetin dat mean?

She even compare Akpabio to those university lecturers wey dey fail students wey no gree sleep with dem. Na wa o!

Akpabio deny am wella, and him wife, Uloma, con enter matter full-time. She call Natasha liar, carry am go court for defamation.

Some people con dey talk say instead of dem to investigate Natasha serious allegation, Senate just dey focus on punishment for sake of sey she no wan siddon for her new seat. Dem suspend am for six months, cut her salary.

People vex because Proper Investigation no follow, say dem no even ask Akpabio any question. Na only Natasha dem dey punish. And people dey vex say fellow women for senate No even Support Natasha. Hmmmm na true o, not even one woman stand with Natasha. Na only women groups outside dey shout.

Natasha no gree, she run go court. At first, court support am, but as e be like say somebody fex muscle, judge con recuse himself  like say him see ghost. Abeg no vex for that grammar, recuse mean say Judge wash him hand for the matter.

Ok, make we continue di tori. By March 2025, Natasha don carry her protest reach United Nations! She stand before Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), she dey there dey tell di whole world say Nigeria Senate suspend am because she talk say Akpabio harass am.

Dem no like dat one for Senate o! Dem begin yarn say she no get right to speak since dem don suspend am. Dem even ask security to find out how she take enter the meeting!

But now INEC Just Hammer Final Nail for petition wey dem give INEC to comot Natasha.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan just collect win! As dem dey drag her up and down for Senate over Akpabio matter, some people for Kogi state carry petition go INEC, say dem wan comot am from Senate. Na wa o. But INEC look the petition, laugh, con throw am inside dustbin!

INEC say the constitution no talk make dem comot am, which mean say the petition no fit carry water, and which mean dat thing wey some lawyer dey always talk wey be Dead on Arrival. And Natasha sef don hail INEC say dem be “truly independent.” She thank INEC sake of say dem no gree bow to pressure from “undemocratic forces” as she put am.

Natasha yarn say, “The voice of the people na the voice of God! No be Yahaya Bello or Akpabio fit comot wetin Kogi Central people decide!” She even talk say she no dey fear because God and the people dey by her side. INEC decision sweet her belle well-well, and she call am correction of injustice. But make we no forget say this na just one battle on top the ones wey still dey front between her and Akpabio camp.

Now, make we talk about the elephant for the room, the sexual harassment allegation wey Natasha throw. You see eh, if you ask me eh, my opinion be sey dis one na serious case, but e get one important thing: evidence. For court, na evidence dey win case, no be grammar or who shout pass. Natasha talk say Akpabio hold her hand for December 2023, tell am say if she wan her motions to pass for Senate, she must “take care of him.” you sabi wetin be motion?

Motion na that drama wey dey happen for Senate wey person go stand like town crier begin yarn like say na him get Nigeria. After the long talk, Senate President go adjust him agbada, raise voice shout, “If you agree, make you talk Yeh! If your belle no sweet, shout Nay!”

Once di people wey talk Yeh loud pass, him go talk ” The Yeh have it”, then everybody go dey nod head. Na that grammar wey the senator blow na him dem dey call Motion. E no dey move motor o, na just big big grammar.

Dis na hard truth o, but Natasha lawyer talk so dem get evidence. Akpabio don shake head deny am, him wife sef no carry last, she don drag Natasha go court for defamation. Now, as e be, once dem land for court, Natasha go need to show the strong evidence wey she say she get, because for this kind matter, na who bring better proof go fit win.

Some people don already begin yarn say, “She record am? Where the video? Where the audio?” But we sabi say sexual harassment matter no dey always get evidence. Sometimes na just your word against the other person own.

You see for street level, many people go quick believe Natasha, especially because for Naija, once power enter the gist, everybody go suspect the oga. But court no dey do like that. If you no show strong evidence, you just dey stress lawyer wey don iron him wig since 6am.

So if you wan accuse person of something serious, make sure you gather your evidence well-well before you talk.

As for Natasha, whether she win or lose, she don already write her name for history as woman wey no gree fear. But if she really wan win her case, she go need enough proof.

E be like say wahala don jam wahala for Federal High Court for Abuja as di mata wey concern Omoyele Sowore don turn kata kata for court arena. You see, as e be so, Sowore wey be correct activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters no dey ever carry last when e come to tok wetin dey hin mind about government palava. Di way I see am, dis guy dey always get mouth.

But dis time, e get as e be because for dis wahala, e don make Nigerian police vex no be small. E be like say di whole wahala start when Sowore begin drag Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, dey call am “Illegal IGP” because hin tenure waka pass di retirement age wey di law talk. Who dem wan deceive?

Sowore no even gree at all, as hin go social media dey fire shots anyhow, dey yan say di extension of Egbetokun job no follow law. From my own side, e be like say di man sabi use social media well well.

As if dat one no do, di thing wey scatter everywhere na when Sowore put mouth for di case of Olamide Thomas, one nurse wey dem carry go detain for allegedly yab President Bola Tinubu pikin, Seyi, plus Egbetokun and di Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, for social media. Sowore no waste time, as e para say make dem free di woman sharply. Hin even come drop one tweet wey resemble firewood for dry bush, e tok say, “Di illegal IG of Nigeria Police Force, Kayode Egbetokun go soon cause another #ENDSARS! E just be matter of time! #EgbetokunMustGo #Revolution freeolamidenow.” Na so everywhere catch fire! If you ask me, dat guy sabi make wahala.

As e be say Sowore no dey carry last, di police kuku decide say dem go show am say na dem hold power. Dem send letter on top letter, dey invite am for questioning. Di letter wey Commissioner of Police, Ibitoye Rufus Alajide, sign on behalf of Deputy Inspector General of Police, talk say Sowore don commit different wahala like resisting arrest, disobedience to lawful order, cyberstalking, and di one wey funny pass – refusal to assist public servant. You go think say na drama script dem write, but na real life we dey so.

Police no even send say dem dey invite Sowore for peaceful talk, dem don already get plan to use style hold am for Abuja before dem go transfer am go Lagos, come give am bail condition wey go be like say dem dey keep person for life imprisonment. Egbetokun don vex sotey hin dey find way to show Sowore pepper because of di “Illegal IGP” wey e call am.

Come see as di matter burst for Federal High Court for Abuja on January 29, 2025. Na so Sowore carry hin body enter court, but di drama wey happen outside court pass wetin dey inside courtroom. Protesters full everywhere dey shout, dey carry placards dey para for Sowore release. You go think say na concert wey dem dey do because di whole place be like say e go turn riot any moment. Police sef no carry last, as dem full ground like say na war zone. But even with all di uniform wey dem wear, di protesters no gree fear, dem stand gidigba dey ask why Sowore go dey face wahala for just talk wey e talk.

Inside court, di matter get as e be. Lawyers dey argue, supporters dey shout, and journalists dey use style record everything wey dey happen. E get as e be so.

Human rights organizations no gree gree at all as dem begin tok say di case wey dem put for Sowore head too much. Di National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) tok say make police no dey use force anyhow because law dey. Di Executive Secretary, Barr. Tony Ojukwu, even talk say, “Law enforcement officers need to dey obey di same law wey dem dey enforce.”

International human rights groups sef no keep quiet. Amnesty International yarn say e be like say Nigerian government don dey use arrest and intimidation as their new hobby. Dem warn say di thing wey happen to Sowore fit make Nigeria lose respect for international level. Na so dem dey talk di matter dey drag left and right.

But if you sabi Sowore well, you go know say dis no be hin first time wey government dey chase am up and down. Back for 2019, dem arrest am on top treasonable felony case because hin organize di #RevolutionNow protest. Dat time sef, di whole world vex sotey dem shout until dem release am. Again for 2024, Sowore still show say hin no dey fear as hin go support young Nigerians wey dey face trial for protesting against bad governance.

Na dis kind wahala make plenty Nigerians begin dey ask whether democracy still dey for di country. Because how e be say anytime wey person criticize government, na so dem go just carry am go court like say e thief goat? Nigerians don dey look di whole situation like one big movie, but di only problem be say no be fiction, na real life tori!

Di government on di other hand dey try justify dia action. Dem say Sowore too dey make noise, say e wan cause wahala for di country. But many people believe say na just one of di many ways wey government dey try take shut up anybody wey no dey support dem. Nigerians don wise up, dem don sabi say dis kind arrest and intimidation na old format wey don cast. E be like say di tori never finish! Keep your biscuit near, because di way dis tori dey go, another chapter fit open soon!

Omo, wahala dey plenty for this life, but dis story go make you siddon well make you hear di gist. You sabi say once e concern matter wey touch big oga for law and di kasala wey follow, e go be like movie.

Dis one na di gbege between Aare Afe Babalola, di baba lawyer wey get beta respect for Naija, and Dele Farotimi, di human rights lawyer wey no dey take nonsense. Di drama wey surround di two of dem no be here. Na di book wey Farotimi write for 2024, “Nigeria and Its Criminal Justice System,” cause di wahala.

E be like say Farotimi no hold back when e dey yarn for di book, as e claim say Afe Babalola don use im influence for di Supreme Court to dey get judgements wey sweet im belle. Di lawyer even talk say di baba lawyer don “corrupt di Supreme Court.”

Omo, that one suppose vex person wey don spend di whole life dey build im name. Afe Babalola no gree take di talk like dat. E waka straight go report to police make dem carry Farotimi sharp-sharp. Baba talk say, “How pesin go just dey spoil another pesin name like dis? Dis one no fit slide.”

E no take long before police grab Farotimi for Lagos on di 3rd of December, 2024. Dem carry am go Ekiti State like say na movie dem dey act. By di next day, Farotimi don land for court dey face 16-count charge wey be like big grammar. Di prosecution talk say Farotimi don injure Afe Babalola reputation with di kain talk wey fit even make di country scatter. Di court sef no waste time; dem order make dem put Farotimi for correctional facility until dem go continue di hearing. Omo, if na you, how you go feel?

No be say Farotimi no try sha. By December 10, di Federal High Court for Ado Ekiti grant am bail, but no be cheap bail.

Di court talk say make e pay N50 million, drop im passport, and bring person wey get land for Ekiti State as surety. But na so e be for dis kind high-level gbege. Even as Farotimi get bail, di wahala no finish.

Police still file new charges join am, dis time under di Cybercrimes Act of 2015. Dem talk say Farotimi still dey repeat di same allegations for one online interview. You see as dis matter no gree end?

Di whole matter scatter ground as people begin talk left, right, and center. Di Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) no keep quiet at all. Dem vex well-well say how dem go dey use defamation case like criminal offense for Lagos State, especially since di law wey dey criminalize dat kind tin don comot since 2011.

Dem talk say wetin dem dey do be like say dem wan silence pesin wey dey talk truth. You sabi say Naija no dey carry freedom of expression play, and di NBA wan make sure say no be now dem go start.

Di drama no stop for di legal level o. Traditional rulers like di Ooni of Ife and di Ewi of Ado Ekiti no fit siddon dey look as di matter dey escalate. Dem use big agbada of peacekeepers waka go meet Aare Afe Babalola. Dem beg am say, “Baba, abeg, make we settle dis matter like family.

No need to dey carry am go far.” And na so e happen. Di respect wey people get for dis traditional leaders no be small. Baba lawyer agree say e go withdraw di case. Dis kain peaceful resolution na wetin make Naija dey special. E show how culture and respect fit work hand-in-hand with di law.

Las last, dis matter teach us plenty lesson. E show say for dis Naija, e get wetin di legal system fit do, and e get wetin our tradition fit handle.

E be like say di two dey complement each other. As di court dey give structure, di culture dey bring heart. Dis kain balance no dey easy to find. You fit just imagine di kind drama wey follow di whole matter, but as e end peacefully, everybody sabi say dialogue and respect na di way forward.

So, next time wey you hear story like dis, no forget say Naija get di ginger to mix law and culture wey dey solve big problem. Life na cruise, but e good to learn how to balance am.