The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, has told Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, that the Senate is for serious business not a content creation platform for entertainment.
Recall that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan disrupted proceedings on Thursday after she objected to the relocation of her seat in the chamber.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a Peoples Democratic Party senator, had on Thursday refused to use the seat assigned to her, citing Order 10 of the Senate Standing Rules, which protects members’ privileges.
Her seat had been reassigned due to a reshuffle triggered by opposition members switching to the majority wing.
This did not go down well with the senator.
The Kogi senator defiantly spoke out, accusing the leadership of attempting to silence her.
She told the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio she was not afraid of him. “I don’t care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege,” she said.
At some point, the Senate President called on security to remove her from the chamber, but fellow lawmakers intervened and prevented further escalation.
When asked about the development by the anchors of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Adaramodu said the Senate was not a platform for entertainment.
“What we are saying is that the National Assembly is not for content creation in entertainment. National Assembly is for serious business,” he said.
Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South, said Akpoti-Uduaghan had already 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 committee to be the chairman and she is in charge of Foreign Affairs, NGOs now,” the Senate spokesman said.
He however ruled out the possibility of a sanction against the senator. He said her Kogi colleague, Senator Isah Jubril, had apologised on her behalf.
“The Senate as a whole has already accepted that tendered apology, so we are not going to revisit that,” he said.
