David Akachukwu
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The Senate has explained why it is currently unable to reinstate Kogi lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
According to the legislative body, her return to the chamber will not be considered until it has reviewed the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court’s ruling in her legal dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, disclosed this during a discussion with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for a period of six months on March 6, following accusations of sexual misconduct she leveled against Akpabio. Her suspension was based on the findings of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, led by Senator Neda Imasuen from Edo South.
In response, the senator challenged the decision in the Federal High Court in Abuja. Last week, Justice Binta Nyako ordered that she be reinstated.
Despite ruling in her favor, the court also found Akpoti-Uduaghan in contempt and imposed a financial penalty of ₦5 million.
Senator Adaramodu emphasized that the Senate has formally requested the CTC of the judgment. He stated that no decision will be made until the document is obtained and thoroughly examined.
“The Senate had applied for the CTC since Monday. We expect to get the document, and once we get it, we are going to comply with the content of the court order.
“But first, the Senate will sit and consider the contents of the CTC, and when we look at the contents, then we shall take a position.
“It was for this that we have Standing Orders. And enforcing the orders means that anybody that contravenes it, the aggregated whole chamber of the Senate can reprimand such a person,’’ he said.
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He also expressed regret that even when the court ruling had given vent to that, some people were still saying something else.
“Possibly, what they were expecting was that anybody can disobey; anybody can break any rule, and that the Senate must not take any stand,’’ he said.
According to him, if it is established that the Senate can reprimand an offending senator and that it is not in their books how many days or hours such a senator being reprimanded can be given, then it is at the discretion of the Senate to apportion a period for the suspension of a member being reprimanded.
“Whoever that is not a legislator cannot understand how the legislature works,” he said.
The senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District explained that the 180-day suspension handed down to Akpoti-Uduaghan included non-parliamentary days.
“What the Senate rules say is that you should observe, adhere to, and fulfill the 180 parliamentary days,’’ he said.
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