THE AMEH NEWS | SPECIAL EDITORIAL REPORT

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Silencing Her Voice: How the Media Failed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and What The Ameh News Editorial Says About Gender Bias in Nigerian Politics

“The problem is not that she spoke. The problem is that the system—backed by silence—tried to shut her down.”
— The Ameh News Editorial Board

When Truth Is Too Loud for the Senate Chambers

In a moment that should have reignited the debate on inclusive governance, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stood before the Nigerian Senate in March 2024, demanding accountability for the continued exclusion of her Kogi Central constituents from national projects. But rather than engage with her concerns, Senate President Godswill Akpabio silenced her with procedural tactics and political might.

Yet, the bigger silence came afterward—from the media.

The Media Gag Without a Gag Order

As a media analysis company, The Ameh News undertook a week-long review of how this pivotal Senate moment was covered—or rather, not covered. From national dailies to broadcast outlets and online portals, a clear trend emerged: the story was either buried, reframed, or entirely ignored.

Our Findings:

Of 37 media platforms monitored, only 8 provided balanced or detailed coverage of the Senator’s original claims.
A staggering 12 made no mention of the issue at all.
17 reports painted it as a “senate drama” or “heated exchange,” stripping it of its substance and reducing it to spectacle.

When Men Speak, It’s Bold. When Women Speak, It’s Trouble.

The difference in media reaction becomes more glaring when we contrast this with similar confrontations led by male lawmakers. Senators like Dino Melaye and Shehu Sani were lauded—and headlined—for raising tough issues. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan? Her assertiveness was rebranded as “disruption.”

“If democracy is about speaking truth to power, then why are women penalized for doing just that?”
— Ameh News Editorial Team

Gender Bias in Editorial Rooms: The Silent Enabler

There is no denying that many media houses still operate within male-dominated editorial cultures. Even when the issue at hand concerns national equity or transparency, if the messenger is a woman—and especially one unafraid to confront power—the coverage is diluted or distorted.

By failing to amplify her voice, the media unintentionally—or deliberately—became part of the machinery that sidelines female leadership in Nigeria.

What Is at Stake?

This editorial is not just about Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. It is about every Nigerian woman who watches the news and wonders if her voice would ever be treated seriously. It is about building a media that stands for equity, not one that reinforces societal bias with every headline it chooses not to write.

The Ameh News Stands Firm

We believe the media should do more than report. It should advocate. Challenge. Reflect the truths that others fear to speak.

We call on Nigerian media houses to:

Audit their editorial policies for gender bias.
Train journalists in gender-sensitive reporting.
Commit to amplifying underrepresented voices, especially women in public leadership.
Hold powerful institutions equally accountable—regardless of who is speaking.

Because a democracy that silences women in power is no democracy at all.
And a media that watches it happen in silence has failed in its duty to the people.

THE AMEH NEWS | SPECIAL EDITORIAL REPORT