The chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, has mocked Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Adaramodu was reacting to the saga involving Natasha’s attempt to forcefully resume plenary on Tuesday.
Heavily armed officers stationed at all entrances denied the senator access, ordering her and her supporters to vacate the premises.
This led to a tense standoff as her supporters questioned the move and attempted to force their way in, chanting “Push!” before being pushed back by the security personnel, who issued stern warnings.
The confrontation caused major human and vehicular congestion at the gates, with many stranded.
Senator Natasha was suspended in March for six months over alleged misconduct and refusal to adhere to Senate sitting arrangements. However, she challenged the suspension in court.
In June, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the Senate overreached its powers. She described the suspension as excessive and unconstitutional, pointing out that the National Assembly is mandated to sit for 181 days annually, and suspending a lawmaker for nearly the entire session violates the rights of the constituents.
Despite the judgement, Senate leadership insisted she remain suspended pending receipt of the Certified True Copy of the ruling.
Natasha had vowed to resume yesterday, prompting a Sunday warning from Adaramodu, who maintained that no binding order required her reinstatement.
Speaking to journalists after being blocked, Natasha said, “Justice Nyako ruled my suspension unconstitutional. Denying me access today violates my rights and those of my constituents.”
However, featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adaramodu argued that even if there was a court order, it was not Natasha’s responsibility to enforce it on her own.
“The National Assembly at large has a lot of roles to play. We are legislators and lawmakers, not spectators to be watching skit making and content creation.
“Initially I said all these episodes and saga is all about content creation, now that the content has been created, it’s now degenerating into a season film.
“We are not interested, we are lawmakers not actors, we are not interested in all these kinds of things.
“Even when any litigant goes to court and gets judgement, either the person feels that this is an order when that is not an order, the litigant does not enforce the order by himself or herself.
“There are court bailiffs who will serve orders on those that should be served as prescribed by the court.
“I know that Nigerians know that this is another skit making and a continuation of the content making episode by our own colleague.”
