Phillip Shaibu, the former Deputy Governor of Edo State, has shared his opinion on the ongoing disagreement between Senators Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangements in the Senate. According to him, this issue should not be turned into a gender debate.

Shaibu, who appeared on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television program, explained that seats and offices in the National Assembly are not rights but privileges. He said that lawmakers must lobby to get good offices and seating arrangements.

Shaibu has experience in both the Edo State House of Assembly and the National Assembly. He represented the Etsako Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2016. Before that, he spent eight years as a lawmaker in Edo State.

“Natasha is my friend, and Senator Akpabio is my political leader,” he said. “When I was in the National Assembly, leadership had the power to assign offices and seats. If you want a good office, you have to lobby for it. That’s how things work in the legislature.”

The controversy started on February 20, 2025, when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, refused to accept the seat given to her in the Senate. She accused Senate President Akpabio of harassment and later filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against him. The Senate leadership has referred her case to the disciplinary committee.

This is not the first time the two have clashed. In July 2024, Akpabio had to apologize to Akpoti-Uduaghan over a comment he made about her at a nightclub.

Shaibu’s statement suggests that instead of turning the issue into a gender-based argument, lawmakers should follow the traditional lobbying process to secure better positions in the National Assembly.