The lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has revealed that there are moves to suspend her following her recent outburst at the National Assembly.
She made this disclosure during a phone interview with Ahmad Isah, popularly known as Ordinary President, on Berekete Family Radio/TV in Abuja on Friday.
Tensions flared in the Red Chamber on Thursday after Akpoti-Uduaghan clashed with the Senate leadership over a seating arrangement dispute.
The controversy began when her seat was reassigned to another lawmaker following a reshuffle that was triggered by the defection of opposition lawmakers to the majority wing.
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, cited Senate rules to justify the reassignment of the seats, explaining that seating adjustments fell under the Senate President’s authority.
He further warned that defying the directive could result in penalties, including exclusion from Senate debates.
Yet, the Kogi Senator stood her ground, attempting to speak from her original seat.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio intervened, upholding Monguno’s directive.
However, Akpoti-Uduaghan raised her voice, accusing the leadership of deliberately silencing her.
“I don’t care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege,” she declared.
Akpabio eventually directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove her from the chamber, escalating the chaos.
Speaking during the Berekete Radio interview, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that efforts were already in motion to suspend her over the Thursday plenary incident.
“I know that right now, they are planning my suspension. If I am suspended, fine. It will not stop me from doing my work. I have some projects in line. I will keep serving my people and keep being a voice, as well as a law-abiding citizen,” she stated.
The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, had criticised the Kogi lawmaker’s outburst, but she maintained that her actions were within her constitutional rights.
“I didn’t speak out of order. He (Akpabio) was weighing my suspension, and I had to invoke Order 10, which is an order of privilege. This means that instead of suspending me, if I were at fault, I should be referred to the Ethics and Privileges Committee, almost like a panel. That was all I did,” she explained.
“If I had not invoked that order, I would have been suspended on the floor. So, I had to speak up to prevent my suspension at that moment. But I am aware that they are still planning it. And if they suspend me, so be it.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan further alleged that she had endured various forms of harassment and maltreatment but had chosen not to speak about it.
“I have been going through a lot and I have remained quiet because I didn’t want to be misinterpreted. I didn’t want any lawsuit against me. I just want to be given a chance to work. A lot of my privileges have been denied. I have been pulled out from many international activities that I was part of,” she revealed.
She recounted how she was supposed to attend a United Nations event after being nominated, but her name was struck out.
“They didn’t want to promote me in any international activity. So, every event I have attended since last year has been self-sponsored. If I find an international event important for my constituents and Nigerian women, I fund my trips myself. I just don’t talk about it. But I have been going through a lot,” she recounted.
According to the Senator, the decision to change her seat in the chamber was a calculated move to sideline and silence her.
“Changing my seat was a deliberate move to alienate me. Sitting arrangements are very critical. Where you sit determines your visibility before the camera and increases your chances of being called upon to contribute to debates,” she noted.
She insisted that she was not informed before the change.
“I was already seated on the last row before the door. That was my designated seat. But suddenly, without notice, they moved me to a far corner where the cameras don’t capture. If you sit there, you are almost invisible unless they zoom out,” she stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan described the move as unjustified and questioned why she was singled out.
“You can’t just push me around like this is a classroom. There are 109 Senators—why me? Why was I the only one moved? Why me?” she protested.
