The Senate has cautioned suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to desist from forcefully resuming her legislative duties on Tuesday until the expiration of her suspension. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu gave the warning in a statement issued on Sunday.
While insisting that no valid court order mandates her immediate recall, Adaramodu emphasised that the Senate remains committed to due process and the rule of law.He said the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria reaffirmed, for the third time, that there is no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the expiration of her suspension.
The clarification followed media reports quoting the embattled lawmaker as saying she would return to the Senate on Tuesday, allegedly based on a judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Adaramodu said the Senate had previously issued two public statements after the court ruling and the release of the Certified True Copy of the Enrolled Order, making it clear that no positive or mandatory directive was issued against the Senate regarding her recall.
The Senate Spokesman said the Honourable Court gave a non-binding advisory urging the Senate to consider amending its Standing Orders and reviewing the suspension, which it opined might be excessive. He posited that the Court, however, explicitly held that the Senate did not breach any law or constitutional provision in imposing the disciplinary measure based on the Senator’s misconduct during plenary.
The Senate further noted that the same court found Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt and imposed penalties, including a ₦5m fine payable to the Federal Government and a mandatory apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page, a directive that has reportedly not been complied with. He warned that any move by the suspended lawmaker to “storm the Senate next Tuesday under a false pretext” would be premature, disruptive, and a breach of legislative order.
