The senator representing Kogi Central, Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan yesterday had a confrontation with the senate president, Mr Godswill Akpabio for a second time in less than seven months.
Yesterday, the altercation centred on seat reallocation but in July 2024, the quarrel was about speaking on a motion without obtaining the senate president’s permission.
“Distinguished Senator Natasha, in the chamber, you have to be recognised before you speak. We are not in a night club,” Akpabio roared.
Yesterday Akpoti-Uduaghan protested at the plenary against the unauthorised relocation of her seat, leading to a heated exchange between her and the senate president.
Trouble began when the Kogi Central senator protested against the seat change, citing Order 10 of the Senate Standing Rules, which protects members’ privileges.
She had entered the chamber and discovered her nameplate missing from her usual seat.
The senate chief whip, Mr Tahir Monguno, raised a point of order, alerting the senate president about Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “improper seating position.”
Monguno justified the seat change due to recent defections by opposition senators to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He warned that failing to adhere to seating arrangements could lead to penalties, including being barred from participating in senate discussions
Responding, Akpabio upheld Monguno’s position, ruling against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
However, she remained defiant, raising her hand to protest but was denied permission by the senate president to speak in line with the senate’s regulations.
Despite the ruling, the lawmaker refused to vacate the seat. She instead raised her voice.
“I don’t care if I am silenced, I am not afraid. You have denied me my privilege,” she said.
In reaction, Akpabio quickly switched off her microphone and directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove her from the chamber.
“Can the sergeant at arms please take her out of the Senate,” Akpabio said.
The parliamentary security officers approached her, but she resisted.
Several senators also attempted to mediate and calm her, but she refused to back down.
Amid the commotion, Akpabio made light of the situation by comparing the Nigerian Senate chamber to the South African Parliament, where opposition leader Julius Malema frequently faces calls to sit down.
“When the chamber 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 said.
He referenced his experience in the 8th Senate, acknowledging that he had protested the seat change but managed to resolve it without making it a public discussion.
Akpabio suggested a return to the old microphone system to prevent senators from speaking out of order or without recognition.
“I recall that in the 8th Senate, I had almost a similar issue, where seats were reallocated as a result of movement, and I also moved at that time. So when I came into the chamber, they gave me a different seat. I also voiced my anger and said, what is going on here?
“The senate president was able to control the situation, so everything I said did not get out to the public, and so social media had nothing to feast on.
“So, unfortunately, we need to go back to our old microphone system so that people will not speak out of order, and they’ll not speak when they are not recognised,” he said.
With Premium Time report
