The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday apologised to the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for comparing her conduct in the Senate to that of a nightclub.
During the plenary last Thursday, Akpoti-Uduaghan commented on a motion without the permission of the Senate President, an action which contravened the Senate standing order.
While trying to correct the Kogi lawmaker for the misconduct, Akpabio told her to follow the rules and that the Senate is not a nightclub where anybody can talk anyhow.
He has since come under fire from many Nigerians on the social media space, with many faulting his utterance.
But presiding over plenary on Tuesday, the Senate President was remorseful, saying he would never deliberately denigrate a woman.
According to Akpabio, he never intended to insult Senator Natasha.
“Distinguished Senator Natasaha, I want to apologise to you. I will not intentionally denigrate any woman, and I always pray that God will uplift women,” he said.
“The interest shown in the social media shows that we have enemies. I felt I should tender a public apology to you. I do not mean any harm. People should concentrate on things that will move this country forward.
“Social media handlers should practice with decorum. We won’t, out of anger, regulate social media.”