Natasha’s Many Battles and Threat of Suspension from Senate

Sunday Aborisade captures the drama that recently played out on the floor of Red Chamber of the National Assembly between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

There was tension at the Senate chamber last week Thursday when the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Diaspora and Nongovernmental Organisations, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged the relocation of her seat without her knowledge.

She rejected the new sitting arrangement which she claimed positioned her in a corner where the lens of camera men would not capture. She also said the presiding officer would not be able to easily recognize her whenever she wants to contribute to any debate.

Her action made her to clash with the Senate President GodswillAkpabio, who refused to listen to her because she failed to speak from the seat that was newly allocated to her.

Tension started to rise when Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is representing the Kogi Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, outrightly rejected the change in the sitting arrangement by not taking up another seat.

Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Monguno had through a point of order cited sections of the Senate Standing Rules, to justify the reallocation of the seat and another seat given to her.

Monguno explained that the changes were necessary in view of the vacuum recently created by some opposition members who moved to the majority party, the All Progressives Congress. He said such changes fall within the constitutional prerogative of the Senate President.

Monguno quoted the relevant Senate Standing Orders, to  emphasize that failure to comply with the new sitting arrangement could lead to penalties for “improper seating position” including the possibility of being prevented from participating in Senate proceedings.

Senate President, Akpabio sustained Monguno’s point of order.

However, when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan signified her intention to speak by raising her hand, Akpabio did not recongnise her because she was not sitting on her newly allocated seat. Obviously angry by the position of the Senate President, Akpoti-Uduaghan raised her voice in protest, in defiance to Akpabio’s refusal to recognise her. She said, “I don’t care if I am silenced, I am not afraid. You have denied me my privilege.”

Her protests led to a rowdy session in the Senate forcing Akpabio to instruct the head of the  Sergeant-At-Arms inside the Chamber to take charge and lead her outside in line with relevant sections of the Senate Standing Orders.

One of the operatives of the Sergeant-At-Arms moved and stood beside the seat being occupied by Akpoti-Uduaghan and asked her to vacate it but she refused.

Some ranking Senators and principal officers immediately intervened to prevent the situation from degenerating into further crisis. They approached her in an attempt to calm her down, but she appeared not to have been placated as she maintained her position and the situation led to a rowdy session.

In the midst of the crisis, Akpoti-Uduaghan who overheard comments that she should be suspended, quickly cited relevant sections of the Senate Rules which guarantees her privileges and sat down afterwards.

After the chambers became calm, Akpabio explained that the development was caused by the  ongoing renovation of the Senate and new sitting arrangements following the defection of some senators to other political parties.

He said, “When the chambers was renovated, one of the things I said was that I hope the renovation will not turn us into South African Parliament, where you hear ‘Malema sit down,’ ‘Malema sit down’ and that is because we know how the electronic system ought to work.”

He recalled a similar experience during his time in the 8th Senate, saying that he too, had protested against his seat being changed but he succeeded in managing to resolve the issue without it becoming a public spectacle.

As the plenary session progressed, the other two Senators from Kogi State intervened in the brewing crisis.

Senator IsahJibrin (APC – Kogi East) specifically said Akpoti-Uduaghan did not handle the situation of her seat change in the appropriate manner. He therefore apologised on her behalf to the Senate, saying the Kogi caucus would counsel her.

Also, Jibrin’s colleague from Kogi West, who is the Chairman, Committee on Senate Services,  Senator Sunday Karimi, whose part of his responsibility is to allocate seats, said Akpoti-Uduaghan action was not proper.

He said, “Even as Chairman committee on Senate Services, you don’t need to even tell me before you change seats. Senator Ekong Sampson told me he wanted a seat that has been taken but before you know it, Senator Natasha shouted my name.”

Karimi said he barely managed to contain her anger by not replying Akpoti-Uduaghan when she rained insults on him.

“I don’t know how to fight a woman that is why I controlled by temper following her insults. Today my name will be in the social media for the wrong reasons.”

In his response, Akpabio acknowledged Karimi’s frustration and sought to de-escalate the tension. He said, “Senator Karimi, I can see that you are very hurt. I just want to appeal to you to temper justice with mercy.

“We are not going to dissolve into the committee of the whole or refer the issue to the Committee on Ethics and code of conduct and public petitions. The matter would be dealt with at the appropriate time.

“I just want to say that anybody who is prepared to make law must be prepared to obey the law.”

The Kogi Central Senator seems not to have been done with the issue as she picked a call from the Human Rights Radio and spoke extensively on the issue on a live programme, “Brekete Family Show” anchored by Ahmed Issa, on Friday morning. Natasha during the programme claimed that she had been denied a lot of her privileges as a Senator.

She revealed during the programme that she had been going through a lot since her first clash with the Senate President.

The lawmaker also stated that she has been pulled out of many international activities by the Senate leadership, saying she should be allowed to work.

According to her, “My attention was drawn that you were actually speaking about the issue on your programme today, so thank you so much for your concern.

“I have been going through a lot, and I have remained quiet because I didn’t want to be interpreted wrongly. I didn’t want any lawsuit against me.

“I just wanted to be given the chance to work. A lot of my privileges have been denied. I have been pulled out of many international activities that I have been part of since that whole nightclub incident that happened last year.

“In fact, there was even a United Nations event that I was supposed to attend, which I was nominated for, but my name was struck out that they would not promote me in any event internationally. So every event that I have been going to since last year has been self-sponsored. I have been going through a lot. Yesterday, I didn’t speak out of order. He was reading my suspension, and I had to invoke Order 10, which is an order of privilege,” she added.

Reacting to the incident during an interview on national television,  Senate Spokesperson, Senator AdeyemiAdaramodu said the upper chamber is for serious business.

“What we are saying is that the National Assembly is not for content creation in entertainment. National Assembly is for serious business,” he said.

Also last Friday, Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, dismissed Natasha’s allegations of bullying when he appeared on national television to speak on the issue.

He said, “If she is talking like that being bullied or sidelined, as a first-timer, she even had three committees that she was appointed as chairman. You are entitled to only committee to be the chairman and she is in charge of Foreign Affairs (Diaspora), NGOs now.”

Contrary to fears of suspension expressed by Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senate Spokesperson  ruled out disciplinary measures against her.

He said her colleagues from Kogi State, especially Senator IsahJubril “had already tendered an apology on her behalf”.

He assured Nigerians  that the 10th Senate will not revisit the issue following the apology on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s behalf.”

However the development took another dimension when the Senate resumed plenary on Tuesday when the senators  revisited the issue and asked its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen, to investigate the matter.

The senators also passed a vote of confidence in the President of the Senate, GodswillAkpabio over his leadership style.

The resolutions of the upper chamber followed a point of order, bothering on privileges moved by the Senate Spokesperson, AdeyemiAdaramodu.

Adaramodu, had in his point of order, drew the attention of his colleagues to the action of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan last week Thursday when she caused a rowdy session during plenary while protesting the sudden change of her seat without her knowledge.

He noted that Akpoti-Uduaghan erred by raising her voice while protesting the  rearrangement of seats in the red chamber thereby creating a wrong impression which the mainstream and social media commentators had been discussing since last week. Adaramodu stated that the uproar caused by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attack on the Senate President over her seat allocation had severely damaged the Senate’s reputation.

He said Akpoti-Uduaghan openly defied the Senate President by reading a point of order despite being ruled out of order.

Adaramodu explained that he had been visiting various media organisations to explain the Senate’s position on the matter.

He emphasised that it was difficult to restore an image that has been shattered due to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions regarding a simple issue like seat reallocation and committee chairmanship.

Leader of the Senate, Senator OpeyemiBamidele in his contribution, moved a motion that his colleagues should support the actions of the Senate President since the issues started last week, which was promptly done.

He also moved another motion for the matter to be refererred to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges  and Public Petition which was massively voted for.

On their part, Minority Leader Abba Moro, and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, expressed concern about Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct that day and recommended that the issue be further investigated by the appropriate committee.

They said her actions contravened relevant sections of the Senate Standing Orders which give the presiding officer the power to allocate seats and equally maintain order and decorum within the Chambers. They equally faulted her for taking a matter that happened within chambers and made a media issue out of it for which the red chambers continue to receive negative publicity and image bashing.

President of the Senate after ruling on the matter, referred it to the ethics committee for investigation and to report back to the Senate in two weeks.

Akpabio challenged the National Assembly management to come up with trainings for lawmakers to prevent the type of uproar generated in the Senate chamber as a result of a new sitting arrangement.

Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a N100bn lawsuit against the Senate President for allegedly defaming her.

The suit was filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday with Akpabio and his senior legislative aide, Mfon Patrick listed as second and third defendants.

In the suit, Akpoti-Uduaghan through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, referred to Akpabio’s words published by his aide on his Facebook page with the title, “Is local content committee of the senate Natasha’s birthright?”

The Facebook Post, according to Giwa,  stated that the claimant thought being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers.

Giwa alleged that the statement on Akpoti-Uduaghan was defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, and lowered her dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and right-thinking members of the public.

“A declaration that the words ‘it is a bottled anger by the Kogi Lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the Chambers’ used and written by the 3rd defendant at the prompting of the 1st and 2nd defendants is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection towards the claimant by members of the public,” her reliefs partly read.

She, however, urged the court to order the defendants to pay her ₦100bn as damages and ₦300m as litigation costs.

“An order for payment of the sum of ₦100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for payment of the sum of ₦300,000,000.00 only as cost of action,” she said.

Akpoti-Uduaghan urged the court to restrain the defendants or associates from publishing defamatory words against her on any platform.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants whether acting by themselves or through their agents, privies, assigns, or associates from further publishing or caused to be published the said defamatory words herein stated or any other similar publications about the claimant on the social media platform or in any other manner, which is capable of defaming the claimant,” the suit stated.

At the moment, both Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership are currently engaging in media interviews pending the outcome of the Ethics Committee’s probe which the Kogi Central Senator had insisted must be aired live.