A heated dispute erupted in the Senate chamber over a seating arrangement, with Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan refusing to vacate her original seat.
The controversy began when Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat was reassigned due to opposition members switching to the majority wing. She resisted the relocation, citing Order 10 of the Senate Standing Rules, which protects members’ privileges.
During the session, Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke out loudly, accusing the leadership of attempting to silence her. “I don’t care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege,” she declared. Senate President Godswill Akpabio called on security to remove her from the chamber, but fellow lawmakers intervened, preventing further escalation.
Reacting to the incident, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu criticized Akpoti-Uduaghan’s behavior. “What we are saying is that the National Assembly is not for content creation in entertainment. National Assembly is for serious business,” he said in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Adaramodu also addressed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim of being sidelined, pointing out that she had been appointed chairperson of three committees, including Foreign Affairs and NGOs. “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 one committee to be the chairman, and she is in charge of Foreign Affairs, NGOs now,” he said.
Regarding possible disciplinary action, Adaramodu noted that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Kogi colleague, Senator Isah Jubril, had apologized on her behalf. “The Senate as a whole has already accepted that tendered apology, so we are not going to revisit that,” he stated.
