Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former senator has said Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi Central’s beauty is a problem for her.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ogunlewe made the statement during an appearance on Arise TV on Monday.
Ogunlewe represented Lagos east in the senate from 1999 to 2003. He was also appointed as minister of works in Olusegun Obasanjo administration from 2003 to 2006.
Recall that Senator Natasha had after a clash between her and Senate President Godswill Akpabio over a seating arrangement, accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of s*xually harrasing her.
She was suspended on on Thursday, March 6 over the seat reallocation altercation.
Speaking on the s*xual assault controversy, Ogunlewe said Natasha’s beauty is a problem for her in the 10th senate which has only four female lawmakers.
He said, “The beauty of distinguished senator Natasha is a problem for her. You know men, when somebody who is pretty passes by you, your attitude will change. You can smile, you can wink, but you may not talk to her.”
“Her beauty is a problem. There is no doubt about that.”
“To men, when she is passing, there is no way a man would not look at that woman. It is a natural thing for a man to look at beautiful women. How can you be a man and a beautiful woman is passing and you close your eyes?”
Ogunlewe added that past female senators never perceived themselves as inferior to their male counterparts.
Speaking of Florence Ita-Giwa, his former colleague in the senate, he said, “If you even mentioned that Ita-Giwa is a woman, the response you were going to get would make you ashamed of yourself because they would stand up to you.”
The former senator lamented that Nigeria’s political terrain does not allow for competent individuals who lack financial resources.
He also highlighted the financial barriers women fave in politics, noting that contesting for a Senate seat requires a lot of financial resources, making it difficult for women to compete.
Ogunlewe said, “For a woman to fight to be a senator in Nigeria, we are talking about N50 billion to start with.”
