By Tonia Okereke
Months after her controversial suspension, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, will return to the red chamber, her lawyer has said.
Speaking with The PUNCH in Abuja, her lawyer, Victor Giwa, disclosed that the senator who is on vacation in London has perfected plans to resume plenary alongside her colleagues when the Senate reconvenes on September 23.
“Actually, she’s ready to resume her term. She’s in London. Everything is in place, and the six months have expired. The only thing left is her resumption,” Giwa was quoted as saying.
The lawyer added that the Senate leadership was not expected to obstruct her return. “We have been told that even the leadership of the Senate is ready to welcome her. So that’s the situation at the moment. There is no obstacle at all,” he told the newspaper.
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Drama As Security Bars Senator Natasha From Entering N’Assembly
Recall that in July, security operatives clashed with Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from gaining access to the legislative complex after a court judgment declaring her suspension as illegal.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was accompanied to the National Assembly complex by by activist Aisha Yesufu, rights advocate Mama P, activist and content creator, Randy, and a crowd of supporters, but the lawmaker’s convoy was denied entry by security officials.
The Senate on March 6th suspended Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, for six months.
The suspension followed the adoption of the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, which found the Kogi lawmaker guilty of misconduct and failure to appear before the committee.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was seen as draconian because of the stringent and unprecedented aspects of the punishment meted out on her. As part of the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s salary and security details will be withdrawn, and she will be barred from accessing the National Assembly complex.
Her office was locked, and her legislative aides stopped from receiving their salaries during this period. The Senate had also ruled out reconsidering her suspension until the six-month term ends or she submits a formal apology.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension followed her clash with the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over the reassignment of her seat. She arrived at a plenary session to find her nameplate removed and her seat reassigned, which she argued was an attempt to silence her.
Her suspension was put to a vote after she was denied the opportunity to speak, with the majority siding with the Ethics Committee’s report.
The return of Akpoti-Uduaghan who accused the Senate President, Senator Godwill Akpabio of sexual harassment, to the upper chamber will be positively received by women’s groups, some whom had called for an independent investigation into the Kogi senator’s allegations. Women groups and gender activists have described Akpoti-Uduaghan’s travails including an attack in her hometown and thwarted plan to stop her from visiting her constituents, as a case of Gender Based Violence and the bullying women in politics and governance have to deal with.
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