By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
When she ran for governor of Nigeria’s Kogi state in 2019 gunmen shot at Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s cars, her party’s offices were burned down and her followers were beaten and killed. People called her a prostitute.
She lost the election but, undeterred, ran for the Senate. The day before that vote, in 2023, the main roads to her constituency were dug up. She was at last sworn in as a senator six months later, after winning an appeal to include rejected ballots in the count.
Political life has not become easier for Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan. Recently, she has been told to sit in a remote corner of the chamber and has faced obstruction in her work. “For seven months I have not been able to raise my motions, contribute to debates or take second readings of my bills,” she says. The reason, she claims, is retaliation by Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president, for her rejection of his advances.
After she formally accused him of sexual harassment, Mr Akpabio suspended her for six months on March 6th. (Mr Akpabio denies the allegations, and says Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension is unrelated to her complaint against him.)
The saga reflects the harsh conditions women encounter in Nigerian politics. No Nigerian state has ever elected a female governor. No major party has put a woman on a presidential ticket. Of 360 members in the lower house, only 17 are women.
It is near-impossible for women without powerful backers to break into politics. Those who make it face prejudice and ridicule. Senators laughed when Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan presented her sexual harassment petition. Some suggested her husband should apologise on her behalf for making a scene. During her suspension ruling a few days later, her microphone was turned off before she could defend herself.
Ms Akpoti-Uduaghan may soon return to her seat. A court hearing is slated for March 25th. Courts have quashed suspensions before, if only of powerful men. Her case is also riling up women beyond parliament. But whether their anger will make a difference is an open question.