Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - The Senate has unanimously voted to refer Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review, following her recent seating arrangement dispute.
The Kogi Senator had engaged in a shouting match
on February 20 after discovering that her seat had been changed without her
consent. The committee, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun, has been given two
weeks to report back on its findings.
The decision was reached following a voice vote after lawmakers
revisited the controversy surrounding the recent altercation between
Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership over seat allocation, with lawmakers
underpinning the need to uphold parliamentary rules and decorum.
In a motion raised under Order 1(b) and 10, condemning what he described
as Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “extreme intransigence” during the Senate session on
February 20, Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, revived the saga on
the floor, stating that “from that Thursday, the media was awash with this
issue and I had to work on mending the perception of the 10th Senate. The
Senate is not a platform for content creation but a place for lawmaking and
oversight functions.”
He urged the Senate leadership to enforce discipline, warning that
“Where there is sin, there must be a penalty.”
Supporting Adaramodu, the Senate leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, also
weighed in, reaffirming the Senate’s commitment to its rules and internal
order.
‘’There is no one who does not have an opinion on this issue, but we are
unified by our rules. Under our watch, we will not allow this institution to be
discredited beyond what we inherited. Integrity is non-negotiable.”
He dismissed claims that the dispute was rooted in gender bias or
discrimination, citing examples of senior senators who had accepted seat
changes without protest.
In response, Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed the Committee on
Ethics and Privileges to review the entire incident and report back to the
chamber.
Akpabio recalled that the Senate rules allow members to sit anywhere,
but contributions must be made from their designated seats. He suggested that
unfamiliarity with Senate procedures may have contributed to the altercation.
‘’The first day she was sworn in, she stood up to contribute, and I was
worried if she had even read the rule book. There is nothing wrong with being
vibrant, but everything wrong with disobeying procedure.”
Citing Order 66(2) and Section 55 of Senate rules, he underscored that
all senators must conduct themselves with decorum, including prohibitions on
chewing gum, drinking water or being disruptive during sittings.
“The rules empower the Senate President to suspend a senator for
infractions for at least 14 days. It’s not me who made the rules, it’s in the
rule book.”
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