SENATE WARNS SUSPENDED SENATOR NATASHA AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN AGAINST PREMATURE RETURN TO CHAMBERS
Read Time:1 Minute, 45 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Senate has issued a strong warning to suspended Kogi lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, advising her to desist from attempting to resume legislative duties prematurely ahead of the expiration of her suspension.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, reiterated that no valid court order exists compelling the Senate to immediately recall the embattled senator.
“The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to reaffirm, 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,” Adaramodu stated.
This clarification follows media reports quoting Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan as saying she intended to return to the Senate on Tuesday, allegedly relying on a ruling by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, the Senate spokesperson maintained that both the judgment and the Certified True Copy of the Enrolled Order from the court do not include any mandatory directive for her recall. Instead, the court merely offered a non-binding advisory, suggesting a possible review of the suspension.
“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,” Adaramodu explained.
He added that the court had also found Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of contempt, ordering her to pay a N5 million fine to the Federal Government and to publish apologies in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page orders she has reportedly failed to comply with.
Adaramodu described any attempt by the suspended senator to re-enter the Senate chambers as “premature, disruptive, and a breach of legislative order.”
He stressed that the Senate would, in due time, consider the court’s advisory on amending its Standing Orders and on her recall, and formally communicate its decision to the senator.
“Until then, she is respectfully advised to stay away from the Senate chambers and allow due process to run its full course,” the statement concluded.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0