An Open Letter to Oga Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele: No More Midnight Calls, Global Shame, and the Mess You Can’t Spin Away -By John Egbeazien Oshodi

Midnight calls are never just casual conversations. They carry weight, implications, and unspoken pressures. They break the natural boundaries of professionalism and place the recipient in a position of psychological disadvantage. When a powerful man calls a woman at midnight, the message is never just in the words spoken—it is in the timing, the circumstances, and the undeniable power dynamic at play. Midnight calls are not about routine business. They are about power, access, and control. It is not a call during work hours, where professionalism is expected. It is not a scheduled meeting, where issues can be openly discussed. It is an intrusion into someone’s private time, an assertion of access that says, “You are never beyond our reach.” Midnight calls, especially in politics, are about creating discomfort, catching the recipient off guard, and ensuring they know they are being engaged on the caller’s terms, not their own.

You not only took part in a midnight call with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, but you and Senate President Godswill Akpabio called her back a second time. You claim it was to discuss legislative matters and other business. To you, maybe it was just that. To her, it was something else. It was pressure. It was intimidation. It was an invasion of her space at an hour where conversations should have been left until morning. The first call was bad enough, but the fact that you called back a second time is where the real weight of this act becomes clear. You did not just need to pass a message; you needed to reinforce it. You needed to ensure that whatever was being said was being absorbed in a moment where she had no time to prepare, no time to process, and no space to challenge it. You did not call in the presence of her colleagues. You did not engage her through official channels. You chose a moment where she was most vulnerable, most isolated, and least able to push back.

So she told her sleeping husband to listen. That action alone says everything. A woman does not wake her husband in the middle of the night to listen in on a conversation unless she feels the need for protection, a witness, and assurance that she is not alone. A woman does not instinctively involve someone else unless her body, her mind, and her instincts tell her that what is happening is not right. That is the reality of power dynamics. Women in politics, women in leadership, women who step into spaces controlled by men have developed a deep instinct for survival. When things feel wrong, they move quickly to protect themselves. And that is what she did. The fact that she called on her husband in that moment means she did not trust the conversation, the intent, or the outcome. It means that she knew she needed a witness to whatever was being said, a second set of ears to ensure that whatever was taking place did not become her word against two of the most powerful men in the Senate.

A midnight call is never just a conversation. It is an assertion of access. It is a reminder of reach. It is a psychological tactic that says, “We can engage you at any hour. We can enter your space at a time of our choosing.” A midnight call is not an invitation—it is an intrusion. It tells the recipient that their boundaries do not exist in the eyes of those calling. It tells the recipient that their time, their security, their sense of peace is at the mercy of those making the call. You did not call at noon when discussions could be recorded and processed with accountability. You did not call in the presence of others where transparency could be ensured. You called at a time when the world is asleep, when the mind is tired, when the ability to think clearly and push back is at its weakest. And then you called again. A second time. After she had already involved her husband.

Now, she is telling the world that she sees these calls as threats. And why wouldn’t she? What reason would she have to trust that these were just routine discussions when the Senate that you lead has now moved swiftly to suspend her, erase her, and ensure that her voice is removed from the chamber? The sequence of events is impossible to ignore. Powerful men make midnight calls to a woman under immense pressure. That woman feels so uneasy that she involves her husband to protect herself. Days later, that woman is politically erased. This is not speculation; this is fact. This is not a narrative being twisted; this is what has happened. And now, the world is watching.

Senator, you are the Senate Leader. You and your friend, the Senate President, called a married woman at midnight—twice. Now, she is suspended. Now, she is being erased from her position. Now, she is speaking, and the world is hearing her side. And what is the world saying? They are asking why two of the most powerful men in the Senate found it necessary to engage a woman in private, late-night calls while she was already under immense pressure. They are asking why a woman felt compelled to have her husband listen in on a professional conversation. They are asking how a Senate that claims to stand for democracy, fairness, and justice has found no wrongdoing in a man accused of misconduct but has rushed to punish the woman who spoke up. They are asking what kind of leadership you are demonstrating—one that respects the rule of law or one that silences women through intimidation, political games, and procedural manipulations.

Senate Leader, you can talk about the seat matter all day and night, but here are the international and American headlines:

“Nigeria female senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan suspended after filing sexual harassment claim against Senate President.” – CBS News

This is not a local dispute anymore. This is global. This is about how women in leadership are treated. This is about the world seeing that two of the most powerful men in Nigeria’s Senate engaged in midnight calls, followed by the swift punishment of the woman who did not back down.

Bamidele, take all this as deep indirect counseling and advisory. This is not the time to mobilize public commentators to attack this psychologist or to manufacture distractions. The leadership style you are displaying is damaging not just to you but to Nigeria’s global reputation, especially under an American-trained President like Bola Tinubu, who is traveling the world trying to convince investors to come to Nigeria. How does it look when, on one hand, the President is trying to present Nigeria as a stable, progressive, investment-friendly nation, while on the other, the Senate leadership is entangled in a gender intimidation scandal, silencing a woman instead of protecting her? Who will take Nigeria seriously knowing that women in leadership are targeted and erased for speaking up? Who will invest in a country where two of the most powerful senators make midnight calls to a woman, only for her to be punished days later? Who will feel safe bringing business to a nation where the rule of law is ignored, and those who challenge power are swiftly removed? You may have influence over Nigeria’s institutions, but you do not control the world’s response. You may dominate the Senate floor, silence critics, and manipulate narratives at home, but you cannot rewrite how the international community perceives this. You may attempt damage control through reports and statements, but history has already recorded what happened. And no matter how much you try to spin the story, history will not forget.

You may control Nigeria’s institutions, but you do not control the world’s response. The embassies are watching. International organizations are paying attention. The global community is seeing, in real-time, how women in power are treated in your Senate.

This is now bigger than just Nigeria. This is about the world witnessing a pattern of intimidation, pressure, and retaliation.

And now? Your names are tied to gender intimidation. Your names are now attached to the latest example of male power being used against a woman in leadership.

You wanted to make an example out of her, but now the world is making an example out of you.

You thought you could put Nigeria in fear, but you do not control the globe.

You thought you could control the outcome, but this time, the story has moved beyond your reach.

You may write reports, release statements, and try to bury the truth, but history has already recorded what happened.

You can say, “This is how we are as leaders, we call each other at any time.” But no, sir, that is not how leadership works. Listen carefully—this is bad, very bad. Maybe in your world, this is normal. Maybe in Nigeria, you can make people accept it. Maybe some will even pretend it is just “political culture.” But step outside, look beyond, and you will see that the world is saying NO. No, this is not leadership. No, this is not how things are done. No, this is not acceptable.

Now, take a deep breath and think—why would a woman feel so uncomfortable that she had to wake her sleeping husband to listen in on a professional conversation? Do you know what that means? It means she didn’t feel safe. It means she needed protection, a witness, a safeguard. It means something about that call was not right. That’s not leadership, that’s intimidation. The world sees it, even if you refuse to.

And look at what happened next. A Senate that claims to stand for democracy, fairness, and justice has somehow found no wrongdoing in the man accused of sexual misconduct, but rushed to punish the woman who spoke up. Does that sound fair to you? Does that sound like justice? No, it doesn’t. And that’s why the world is asking—what kind of leadership are you showing?

And now, let’s talk about this habit of midnight calls. If you did it before, stop. If you have a pattern of calling women late at night, stop. If you think that because you are in a leadership position, you can summon a woman at midnight, learn right now that the world is watching, and this is a problem.

If you want to call someone for political matters, do it in the morning. Do it at a proper hour. If there is an issue in the Senate, call a meeting in broad daylight, where accountability exists.

And before you even think about saying, “Well, we call all senators, not just Natasha”—stop there. Because if you have called the three older women in the Senate before Natasha, who follow tradition, whether married or by themselves, STOP. Sleep is good. Women deserve peace. Midnight calls from older men to younger or older women are not good news to the social world.

This is a social problem. This is a power problem. This is a global problem. You may be able to explain it away in Nigeria, but outside these borders, it looks bad.

Leadership is not about midnight calls, intimidation, and erasing voices. Leadership is about fairness, accountability, and protecting the dignity of governance. Right now, the world is watching, and they are not impressed.

So, Oga Bamidele, tell us—are you ready to learn, or will history have to teach you the hard way?

John Egbeazien Oshodi

Oshodi Open Door, also known as Oshodi Open Door Public Training (OOPDT, pronounced opidt), is a public awareness initiative promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in Africa through educational articles and resources at jos5930458@aol.com, and offers specialized Timely Response Solutions (TRS) training at minimal or no cost.

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi is an American psychologist, educator, author specializing in forensic clinical psychology, cross-cultural psychology, police prison science, social justice. Born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, he is the son of a 37-year veteran of the Nigeria Police Force, a background that shaped his commitment to justice, security, psychological research.

A pioneer in forensic psychology, he introduced state-of-the-art forensic psychology to Nigeria in 2011 through the National Universities Commission (NUC) Nasarawa State University, where he served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. His contributions extend beyond academia into psychological health behavioral change initiatives through the Oshodi Foundation the Center for Psychological Forensic Services.

Professor Oshodi has held faculty positions at Florida Memorial University, Florida International University, Broward College, Nova Southeastern University, Lynn University. He is also a contributing faculty member in the doctoral undergraduate psychology programs at Walden University serves as a virtual professor with Weldios University and Iscom University.

Beyond academia, he is a government consultant for forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA previously served as Interim Associate Dean Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida.

He has published extensively on mental health, justice, institutional reform is the founder of the Psychoafricalysis theory, which integrates African sociocultural perspectives into psychology.

Professor Oshodi remains an influential force in advancing psychology institutional reform globally, particularly in Africa.