Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that lawmakers who reclaimed their electoral mandate through the courts contribute to challenges in the upper legislative chamber.
Akpabio made this remark on Tuesday while announcing that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, would face disciplinary action following her recent outburst over seat reallocation.
On February 20, Akpoti-Uduaghan disrupted plenary by rejecting her assigned seat, repeatedly raising a point of order despite being overruled by Akpabio. Addressing the matter during plenary on February 25, Akpabio attributed the conflict to a lack of understanding of Senate rules and directed the National Assembly management to conduct regular orientation for senators.
“I think part of the problem is when people come from court… court-declared senators; they missed the orientation,” Akpabio said.
“The management of the National Assembly is hereby ordered to organise periodic orientation, particularly for senators who are midstreamers, who came midstream and did not start when their colleagues started.
“I remember that this particular senator (Natasha), on the day she was sworn in, raised her hand to speak. I was scared, but I had to recognise her, because I was saying we just gave her the rule book.
“Part of what we give to you when you are sworn in is the standing order of the Senate. I asked if she opened the rule book to know what to say, but she made a contribution on that day. I think two days later she brought a motion.
“There is nothing wrong in being vibrant, but there is a lot wrong when you don’t know anything about the procedure,” he added.
Defamation Suit
In response, Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against Akpabio.
The suit, filed at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, accuses Akpabio and his legislative aide, Mfon Patrick, of making defamatory statements against her. The Kogi lawmaker is demanding that the statements be retracted and an apology published in a national newspaper.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had initially contested the February 2023 senatorial election results after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner. She challenged the outcome, citing irregularities.
The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal ruled in her favor, nullifying Sadiku-Ohere’s victory. The Court of Appeal later upheld the decision, officially declaring Akpoti-Uduaghan as the duly elected senator for Kogi Central.
She was sworn into office in November 2023.
