If the Senate were a Nollywood set, Thursday’s plenary would have been that dramatic scene where two sworn rivals exchange polite smiles while the audience waits to see who blinks first.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), fiery, defiant, recently unsuspended, wrote a letter inviting her colleagues, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to Kogi for the commissioning of her constituency projects.
The letter was read aloud by none other than Akpabio himself, the same man who, barely months ago, had announced her six-month suspension from the chamber.
As the words rolled off Akpabio’s tongue, the irony wasn’t lost on anyone.
The Senate chamber momentarily transformed into a theatre of reconciliation, or so it seemed.
Read also: Natasha, Akpabio mend rift as Kogi senator invites Senate President, colleagues to project commissioning
“In marking my second year anniversary as serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to invite my distinguished colleagues to join me for the commissioning of projects in Kogi State,” Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote in a letter read by Akpabio.
The hall murmured softly, and Akpabio, ever the showman, looked up with a smile and said, “Congratulations in advance.”
That single line, laced with warmth, might have passed as a gesture of peace, until Natasha, came back again to clarify that her invitation was not, in fact, an olive branch.
The “Olive Branch” that wasn’t
For many in the gallery, the invitation looked like the political equivalent of extending a white flag, after all, it came just weeks after Natasha’s dramatic return from suspension.
But the senator, true to her fiery brand, was quick to insist that it was nothing of the sort.
“I followed parliamentary procedure,” she said pointedly.
“I wrote to the presiding officer to have my letter read on the floor, as is customary. I put out the invitation so it wouldn’t seem like I was celebrating in isolation.”
In other words, it wasn’t about making peace; it was about following protocol and maybe, just maybe, letting everyone know she still knew how to play by the rules she was once accused of breaking.
Still, for a woman who was escorted out of the same chamber seven months ago amid accusations of misconduct, having Akpabio publicly read her invitation letter was a poetic twist, one that Natasha couldn’t help but read as a symbolic truce.
But Natasha was having none of that sentimentality. “I’m a progressive person,” she added with a hint of mischief.
“Even with ongoing court cases, I continue to carry out my duties in the chamber and follow proper procedures.”
Read also: Court strikes out suit against Akpabio over Natasha’s suspension
When politeness meets political irony
Akpabio’s cool demeanour, of course, deserves its own paragraph.
The Senate President, who has weathered enough political storms to know when not to fan a flame, smiled the way one smiles at a child who just handed you a wrapped gift that may or may not contain a snake.
“Congratulations in advance,” he said again, perhaps, for emphasis.
There it was: a cordial exchange, complete with applause, smiles, and enough subtext to fill a novel.
The Senate chamber, for a moment, seemed to enjoy the show, a live episode in the long-running series titled ‘The Senator from Kogi Central vs. The System.’
From suspension to celebration
Just months ago, Natasha’s name was synonymous with defiance.
In March, the Senate had suspended her for six months over “disruptive conduct.” Her seat sat empty, her microphone silent. Few thought she would return anytime soon.
But like a phoenix with a flair for political drama, she reappeared in September, not just returning quietly but with a renewed sense of mission.
Since then, she’s contributed scantily to debates, filed motions, and now, extended a “non-olive-branch” invitation to the very leadership that once silenced her.
Even her social media post announcing the event dripped with triumphant sarcasm.
“This past year was quite tumultuous,” she wrote.
“Illegally suspended, fraudulently sponsored recall, death threats, and two Federal Government cases politically instigated against me.
“But to God be the glory, the Senate President himself, Godswill Akpabio, read my letter of invitation to all senators on the very chamber they swore I’d never return.”
And just in case anyone missed the jab, she added in all caps: “GOD IS NOT MAN!!!”
If that’s not the Nigerian political version of a mic drop, what is?
Read also: Natasha returns: What next for Kogi’s most talked-about senator?
A lesson in reconciliation — the Nigerian way!
In another setting, such an exchange might have been hailed as a masterclass in forgiveness.
But in the Nigerian Senate, where grudges often outlive tenures, Natasha’s gesture lands somewhere between diplomacy and subtle revenge.
Her insistence that it wasn’t an olive branch makes the gesture all the more layered, a blend of compliance, confidence, and controlled provocation.
She followed the rules, yes, but she also reminded everyone that she’s back and unbent.
Akpabio, to his credit, played along with the grace of a seasoned actor who knows when to smile and let the cameras roll.
His decision to read her letter without skipping a beat was a political performance of its own; one that suggested he’s just as aware of the optics as Natasha herself.
At the end of the day, both senators got what they wanted: Natasha reclaimed her voice in the chamber, and Akpabio reinforced his image as a tolerant leader.
Curtain call
And so, as senators prepare to or not travel to Kogi for the “not-an-olive-branch” anniversary and project commissioning, the political theatre continues.
There will be ribbons to cut, photos to take, and speeches to deliver.
But behind the smiles and handshakes will linger the memory of that letter, the one that bridged a rift without ever admitting to being a bridge.
Because in the world of Nigerian politics, peace offerings are best served with a dash of satire and a side of shade.
And in Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate, even an olive branch can come with thorns.
