The Nigerian Senate has again warned the suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to steer clear of the National Assembly complex until her six-month suspension elapses.
Reacting to reports suggesting that the lawmaker would return to plenary this week, Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, in a statement on Sunday, said: “There is no court order mandating the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Senate.” He added that the court ruling only advised the Senate to review its rules, not to reinstate her.
“The Senate wishes to state categorically that the judgment of the Federal High Court did not void the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The Court only gave an advisory that the Senate rules should be amended to accommodate fair hearing,” Adaramodu said.
He emphasized that, “Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was never asked to return to the Senate by the Court,” describing her planned return as “a gross violation of the Rules and Orders of the Senate.”
The Senate also reminded the public that the Federal High Court found Senator Natasha in contempt and directed her to pay a fine of ₦5 million to the federal government. “The judgment also ordered Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to tender a public apology to the Senate on her Facebook page and two national dailies for her conduct,” the statement stressed.
Adaramodu noted that the Senate has not been served any order voiding her suspension and maintained that “it is a matter of public record that she was suspended for six months, and the Senate has not set aside that resolution.”
He warned that any attempt to enter the chamber without formal clearance will be viewed as “unlawful and unacceptable.”