Uproar in Senate as Akpabio attempts to walk out Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

Uproar in Senate as Akpabio attempts to walk out Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

There was uproar on Thursday during plenary at the Senate as Senate President Godswill Akpabio attempted to walk out Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan who was accused of not complaining with new seating arrangements.

Senator Natasha had raised her hand to speak but was denied recognition because she was not addressing the chamber from her newly assigned seat.

Refusing to back down, Natasha raised her voice in protest, directly confronting the Senate President.

“I don’t care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege,” the Kogi lawmaker said.

The Senate President ordered the sergeant at arms to walk her out but she declined to move.

However, after the intervention from various lawmakers, calm was restored.

The controversy began when Senator Natasha’s seat was relocated upon resumption of the session, but she refused to comply with the change.

The Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, had raised a point of order, citing sections of the Senate Rule Book to justify the reassignment of seats.

Monguno explained that the changes were necessary to accommodate shifts caused by some opposition members moving to the majority wing.

He said the changes were within the constitutional prerogative of the Senate President.

Senator Monguno further said failure to comply with the new seating arrangement could lead to penalties, including the possibility of being barred from participating in discussions on the Senate floor.

The Senate President ruled in favour of the order.