“Unacceptable For A Woman To Tell A Red Cap Chief To Shut Up”: Sen. Nwaebonyi Escalates Ezekwesili Clash

Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate representing Ebonyi North, has vowed to escalate a public spat with former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili to Igbo traditional leaders, accusing her of disrespecting him by telling him to “shut up” during a Senate committee hearing.

The clash stems from a contentious probe into Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The simmering feud between Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi and Oby Ezekwesili erupted into the spotlight after a heated exchange on March 25, 2025, during a Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions hearing. Speaking on AIT’s Kakaaki breakfast program on Monday, Nwaebonyi recounted the incident, which occurred as the committee examined a fresh petition from Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who has repeatedly accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.

“I am going to take her up within the Igbo traditional leadership because it has never happened,” Nwaebonyi declared, branding Ezekwesili’s public rebuke as “unacceptable.”

Nwaebonyi, appearing as a witness for Akpabio, recounted how Ezekwesili—who was present alongside Akpoti-Uduaghan’s counsel, Abiola Akiode, and petitioner Zubairu Yakubu—interrupted him as he sought to speak.

“I raised my hand, and the chairman said, ‘Yes, witness, what have you to say?’… Immediately after the chairman gave me the audience to speak, the woman turned to me, pointed a finger at me, and said, ‘Will you shut up?’” he explained on Kakaaki.

Ezekwesili escalated, adding, “Will you shut up, you hooligan?”—words that Nwaebonyi said provoked his outrage.

“For a woman to get up in public and tell me to shut up and call me a hooligan—a red cap chief in Igboland who has made his mark… this is unacceptable,” he fumed.

The senator, a legal practitioner and self-described women’s rights champion, defended his record, citing pro bono victories for women denied inheritance and a program supporting over 300 widows with housing and education in the southeast.

“As a person, I can’t talk to my wife like that in public. I can’t talk to my driver like that in public. I can’t talk to any woman like that,” he asserted, contrasting his respect for women with Ezekwesili’s conduct.

“I stood for election, I had the votes of over 500,000 people to be in the Senate. And for somebody who has never won a ward councillorship election to come to my office and tell me to shut up…?”

Ezekwesili’s perspective, aired earlier on Arise TV, framed her outburst as a reaction to perceived intimidation during the hearing.

“The senators… were totally aghast at the fact that the plaintiff… was insisting that he be heard on the objections,” she said, noting that she and Akiode supported waiting for procedural clarity before testifying.

As chair of a global women’s political leadership body, she intended to offer expert insight on addressing such allegations. However, Nwaebonyi’s interruptions—raising his hand to signal readiness to proceed—prompted her sharp retort.

Nwaebonyi initially expressed regret on Kakaaki, saying, “Because she’s a mother, maybe I wouldn’t have,” but later retracted it after Ezekwesili doubled down.

“I take it back completely. She doesn’t deserve it… She went ahead to prove the impossible, to still maintain that what she did was good,” he said, insisting she owes him an apology.

He dismissed the harassment claims as baseless, recounting a December 2023 event with Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan where no misconduct occurred. He argued that the petition was a political ploy over committee reassignments.

The hearing itself stalled as Akpoti-Uduaghan’s team resisted adopting their affidavit under oath—a requirement Nwaebonyi said they dodged, knowing “they are lying.”

With the matter now in court, he maintained that the Senate upheld fair hearing principles by convening the committee, challenging suggestions to the contrary.

“A committee was set up… both parties appeared. So how can you say there is no principle of fair hearing?” he asked.