The Godwill Akpabio-led Senate Tuesday barred Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her legislative duties, in disobedience to a recent court order that declared her suspension illegal and ordered her reinstatement.
Natasha, who was unlawfully suspended for six months by the Senate, had vowed to resume today (Tuesday), in accordance with the court judgement, was however denied entry into the National Assembl complex by security personnel, who said they were carrying out orders from above.
The Kogi senator’s convoy had arrived at the entrance, with Senator Natasha, seated in a black vehicle, but was stopped, alongside a car ahead of her, which carried popular activist Aisha Yesufu.
The standoff intensified as some supporters began chanting “Push!” and tried to force their way through the security barricade.
An enraged Natasha described the development to journalists as a deliberate act of contempt by the Senate, particularly targeting Senate President Akpabio.
“Akpabio cannot be greater than the Nigerian Constitution. I want Nigerians to know that the Office of the Senate President doesn’t give me legitimacy as a senator. The fact that he has done an appeal does not invalidate the decision of Justice Binta Nyako, and that does not stop me from being a senator.
“I got my legitimacy as a senator from the people of Kogi who voted me into office as senator,” she said.
Today’s incident further dents the image of Nigeria abroad, at a time the country desperately needs foreign investors.
And according to the Kogi senator, said her continued exclusion speaks volumes about the state of Nigeria’s democracy.
“That I’ve been denied entrance to the National Assembly is a statement being made. It’s on record that the National Assembly under Akpabio has decided to be in contempt of a court decision, and it’s quite ironic that they are lawmakers.
“That poses the question: how far is our democracy in this day and age?” she stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also faulted the legality of her initial suspension by the Senate.
“Even the suspension ab initio was fraudulent—the document was faulty,” she stated.
She added that her legal team would be approaching the appellate court for further interpretation and redress.
“Going forward, I will have a meeting with my legal team so they can proceed to the appellate court to seek interpretation into what just happened. I’m a law-abiding citizen,” she added.
The Nigerian Senate had yet to comment on Tuesday’s embarassing standoff as at the time of filing this report.
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