Despite Being First-Term Senator, Akpoti-Uduaghan Chairs Three Committees, Says Senate Spokesperson

Yemi Adaramodu, spokesperson for the Senate, has criticised Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, over her confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding seat allocation.

On Thursday, Akpoti-Uduaghan rejected her reassigned seat, invoking Order 10 of the Senate standing rules to defend her privileges.

The dispute arose after her seat was relocated following the defection of some opposition members to the ruling party. However, the Kogi lawmaker resisted the change, accusing the Senate 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 shouted at the Senate President.

As tensions escalated, Akpabio ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove her from the chamber, but some lawmakers intervened to calm the situation.

Reacting to the incident in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Adaramodu stated that the National Assembly is not a platform for entertainment.

“What we are saying is that the National Assembly is not for content creation or entertainment. The National Assembly is for serious business,” he said.

Addressing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims of being sidelined and bullied, Adaramodu argued that she had been given significant responsibilities despite being a first-term senator.

“If she is talking about being bullied or sidelined, as a first-timer, she even has three committees that she was appointed as chairperson. You are entitled to chair only one committee, but she is in charge of foreign affairs and NGOs now,” he said.

The Senate spokesperson added that the matter would not be revisited after Isah Jubril, another Kogi lawmaker, apologised on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s behalf.

“The Senate as a whole has already accepted that tendered apology, so we are not going to revisit that,” he added.