We Can’t Reinstate Natasha Now – Senate

The Senate has declared that it can’t reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan till it considers the content material of the Licensed True Copy (CTC) of the courtroom judgement within the case involving her and the Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, acknowledged this in an interview with the Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday.

LEADERSHIP studies that the Senate on March 6, 2025, suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over sexual harassment allegation she had made towards Akpabio.

The suspension got here after the advice of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, as introduced by its chairman, Senator Neda Imasuen (APC-Edo South).

As a part of the suspension, the senator’s wage and safety particulars had been withdrawn, whereas she was barred from accessing the Nationwide Meeting (NASS) premises.

She took the matter to the Federal Excessive Court docket, Abuja Division, the place Justice Binta Nyako, final week ordered her quick recall.

The courtroom, nevertheless, sanctioned Akpoti-Uduaghan for contempt and ordered her to pay a N5 million tremendous.

Adaramodu mentioned the higher legislative chamber had utilized for the CTC, stressing that till the doc was obtained and studied, the Senate couldn’t take a place on the matter.

“The Senate had utilized for the CTC since Monday. We anticipate to get the doc, and as soon as we get it, we’re going to adjust to the content material of the courtroom order.

“However first, the Senate will sit and take into account the content material of the CTC and once we take a look at it, then we will take a place,’’ he mentioned.

Adaramodu famous with concern that some Nigerians had been fanning the Akpoti-Uduaghan matter out of their low stage of understanding of the workings of the Senate.

He mentioned these appearing in that route had been merely wishing the Nationwide Meeting to be a lawless establishment.

“The Senate, by regulation, is empowered to make its guidelines that information it. If we don’t have guidelines guiding us, we are going to change into like barbarians.

“If there isn’t any rule on seating, it means early within the morning, I can get up and say I wish to sit the place the president of the senate is sitting as a result of he’s my colleague, and that may flip the entire place into chaos and pandemonium.

“It was on the energy of the aforesaid that the courtroom not too long ago averred within the case between Natasha and Akpabio that there are guidelines and that the senate is constitutional empowered to make guidelines that may information its actions.

“It was for this that now we have Standing Orders. And implementing the orders implies that anyone that contravenes it, the aggregated entire chamber of the senate can reprimand such an individual,’’ he mentioned.

He additionally expressed the remorse that even when the courtroom ruling had given vent to that, some folks had been nonetheless saying one thing else.

“Probably, what they had been anticipating was that anyone can disobey; anyone can break any rule and that the senate should not take any stand,’’ he mentioned.

Based on him, whether it is established that the senate can reprimand an offending senator and that it’s not of their books what number of days or hours such senator being reprimanded might be given, then it’s on the discretion of the senate to apportion interval for the suspension of a member being reprimanded.

“Whoever that isn’t a legislator can’t perceive how the legislature works,” he mentioned.

The senator, representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, defined that the 180 days suspension handed right down to Akpoti-Uduaghan included non-parliamentary days.

“What the senate guidelines say is that it is best to observe, adhere to and fulfill the 180 parliamentary days,’’ he mentioned.