Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan have been involved in another heated exchange in the Senate Chambers.
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Trouble started this morning after Akpabio, ordered the Senator representing Kogi Central, Akpoti-Uduaghan, out of the chamber.
The altercation stemmed from a report by Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno, who informed the Senate that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had refused to relocate to a new seat assigned to her. Monguno added that the reassignment was intended to close gaps left by two defecting opposition senators who joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from a minority party.
Citing Order 24, Monguno highlighted his authority as Chief Whip and referenced Order 6, which grants the Senate President the power to reassign senators’ seats at any time. He further noted that senators can only speak from their designated seats, reinforcing Akpabio’s authority to deny recognition to anyone speaking from an unassigned seat.
However, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stood from her original seat and attempted to invoke Order 10, arguing that her privileges had been violated. Akpabio then ruled her out of order, asserting that she could not be recognized while speaking from an unauthorized seat.
Visibly frustrated, the female lawmaker accused Akpabio of deliberately silencing her voice and denying her the opportunity to contribute to motions. She claimed her bills had been repeatedly blocked from reaching the second reading.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said she will not be shoved to the corner and that the worst Akpabio can do is suspend her. She stressed that even if she is suspended she will continue serving her people in Kogi Central and the women of Nigeria.
Natasha further alleged that Akpabio had discriminated against her, maligned, and dehumanized her.
“I am not afraid of you,” she told Akpabio.
“Do whatever you deem fit, but I will not leave this seat. My voice will not be silenced.”
She challenged his authority to suspend her when she is a lawmaker that was duly elected by members of her constituency.
However, normalcy was restored after some Senators stepped in to calm the tension between then.
This would not be the first time Akpabio and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan are locking horns in the chambers.
It would be recalled that Akpabio had once compared the lawmaker’s conduct in the Senate to that of a nightclub.
During plenary, Akpoti-Uduaghan commented on a motion without the permission of the senate president, an action which contravened the Senate standing order.
Akpabio, in his attempt to correct Akpoti-Uduaghan, told her to follow the rules and that the Senate is not a nightclub where anybody can talk anyhow.
Akpabio subsequently apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan, for comparing her conduct in the Senate to that of a nightclub.
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