Senate Slams Natasha With Six Month Suspension
The Senate on Thursday, March 6, 2025 acted out its script as it slammed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan with a six month suspension over her altercation with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
This was as Senator Akpoti-Uduaghna declared that “This injustice cannot be sustained,” and walked out of the senate chamber.
Her suspension came on the heels of an interlocutory injunction by a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja that ordered the Senate not to continue with the committee sitting and directed the National Assembly to show cause why it should continue with the investigation.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions ignored the Court Order and proceeded with the probe saying that the court cannot stop it from carrying out its work as an arm of government.
The Committee also refused live telecast of the investigation as demanded by Akpoti-Uduaghan and other stakeholders to ensure fairness, transparency and justice.
The committee which clearly showed that it was in a hurry to carry out a predetermine action, submitted its report in about 24 hours after its sitting and recommended a six-month suspension on Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The committee also recommended Natasha to tender a written apology regarding her allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The recommendations were announced on Thursday during plenary by Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions.
The Senate also dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims that Akpabio had been silencing her in the chamber and described the allegations as “baseless and frivolous”.
Other key recommendations include; immediate return of all Senate property in her possession; a directive prohibiting her presence in or near the legislative chamber during the period of her suspension.
