Senator Natasha vs Akpabio: Kogi Caucus Takes Action, "We're Going to Counsel Her"
- Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's outburst against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over sitting arrangement has been condemned by his colleagues from Kogi state
- Senator Jibrin Isah of Kogi East and Karimi Sunday Steve (Kogi West) who spoke on the matter later in the day noted that the change in her seat was due to the defection of two senators
- The Kogi senators then begged Akpabio and the senate leadership not to take any disciplinary action against her and promised to counsel her on Senate standing orders
FCT, Abuja - The Senators from Kogi state have apologised to Godswill Akpabio and the Senate on behalf of their colleague, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had a confrontation with the Senate president over the sitting arrangement during plenary.
In a trending video, Senator Natasha's seat was relocated during a Senate plenary. However, she refused to comply with the new arrangement and demanded an explanation for the change, insisting it was made without her consent.
Source: Twitter
Why Akpabio did not recognise Natasha during plenary
Senate President Akpabio ignored Senator Natasha when she raised her hand to speak, citing her absence from her designated seat as the reason for denying her recognition. This triggered her outburst against the leadership of the Red Chamber.
The Kogi lawmaker also accused the Senate president of sidelining her. She alleged that she had been denied on several occasions of presenting bills for a second reading since their last confrontation.
Source: Twitter
Speaking later in the day on what transpired, the other senators from the North-Central state, Senator Jibrin Isah of Kogi East and Karimi Sunday Steve (Kogi West) begged the senate leadership and Akpabio not to take disciplinary action against their colleagues.
What Kogi senators are saying about Natasha
They explained that the change in her seat location was due to the defection of two senators, which, according to the Senate standing order, required her seat to be moved forward. The senators assured her that they would clarify the standing order and urged the Akpabio-led leadership not to take disciplinary action against her.
Senator Isah, who first spoke on the matter, said:
"I want to refer to Order 6, which says, the president of the Senate shall allocate a seat to each senator. A senator can only speak from the seat allocated to him, provided the President of the Senate may change their location from time to time."
The Kogi East senator then proceeded to plead on behalf of Natasha and the people of Kogi state. He noted that the change of seat became necessary after two senators defected. He said:
"The action from my colleague senator from Kogi state this morning is uncalled for. I want to sincerely apologise on behalf of Kogi caucus to the Senate president and the entire senate."
See the video of the moment here:
Akpabio moves against Senator Kingibe
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Senate went into a closed-door session following Senator Ireti Kingibe's question on why the FCT budget was raised without her input.
Kingibe and the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, have been at odds over the management of FCT affairs, and Wike vowed to unseat her in 2027.
Weighing in on the issue, Akpabio criticised the senator and asked Wike to ignore her during a flag-off ceremony at Kugbo Bus Terminal in the FCT.
Proofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
