Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, has criticised Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for her actions during a heated dispute over seating arrangements in the Senate chamber.
The New Daily Prime reported that there’s drama in the Senate on Thursday after Natasha and Senate President Godswill Akpabio engaged in a heated dispute.
The Kogi Central lawmaker, representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), refused to sit in her designated seat, citing Order 10 of the Senate Standing Rules, which upholds members’ privileges.
The disagreement escalated to the point where Akpabio ordered security personnel to remove Senator Natasha from the chamber.
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However, the intervention of other lawmakers prevented the situation from worsening.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Adaramodu emphasised that the Senate is a place for serious legislative work, not theatrics.
Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District, also dismissed Natasha’s claims of bullying, maintaining that the matter was purely procedural.
“What we are saying is that the National Assembly is not for content creation in entertainment. The National Assembly is for serious business.
“If she is talking like that being bullied or sidelined, as a first-timer, she even had three committees that she was appointed as chairman.
“You are entitled to only committee to be the chairman and she is in charge of Foreign Affairs, NGOs now,” the Senate spokesman said.
The Senate spokesperson dismissed any possibility of disciplinary action against her, noting that her colleagues from Kogi State, particularly Senator Isah Jubril, had already apologised on her behalf.
He emphasised that with the apology in place, the 10th Senate had no intention of revisiting the matter.
“The Senate as a whole has already accepted that tendered apology, so we are not going to revisit that,” Adaramodu stated.
Adding her perspective on the matter, Cynthia Mbamalu, the Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, alleged that Akpabio denied Senator Natasha the opportunity to voice her concerns.
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She asserted that Senator Natasha was prevented from speaking, despite the provisions of Order 10 in the Senate Standing Rules.
She expressed her belief that the response to Senator Natasha’s actions reflected a low level of tolerance for even mild dissent.
Citing a similar incident in 2018 involving Akpabio and then-Senate President Bukola Saraki, she noted the contrast in reactions.
“We have witnessed far more intense and heated debates from Senators without anyone accusing them of being overly aggressive,” she said.
“Senator Natasha neither acted violently nor used offensive language. She simply referred to a specific order in their rule book and based her argument on it.”
