The leadership of the Senate has finally bowed to pressure and unsealed the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing the good people of Kogi Central.
The Deputy Director, Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly,Alabi Adedeji, was seen on a viral video unsealing the office and introducing himself before unsealing the Kogi senator’s office at about 2,05pm.
The Senate had through the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, insisted that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan cannot resume after completing her six-months suspension due to a pending matter in the Court of Appeal, which had no direct bearing with her suspension.
The lawmaker was suspended for six months by the Senate for alleged breaches against its standing rules.
The suspension however, sparked controversy, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Afenifere faulting the Senate’s decision and demanding her reinstatement.
The NLC particularly described the Senate’s decision as “unfair, undemocratic, and a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy”.
The development comes after a court held that the six-month suspension by the Senate was excessive and unconstitutional.
Despite this, the Senate had maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan could not resume her duties without a fresh resolution or a definitive court order.
Despite the senate insistence, pressure kept mounting with Nigerians threatening to occupy the National Assembly,if Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan did not resume today, September 23.
The legal team of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has however, maintained that the outcome of her case will depend on further court proceedings, stressing that the Kogi Central Senator is not a flight risk and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the dictates of the law of the land.
…Sen.Akpoti-Uduaghan Thanks Nigerians,Slams Her Suspension
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan speaking from her office after she was finally allowed access said ‘Its actually amazing how much we have faced and survived in the past six months and most of it happened in the full glare of Nigerians’
‘From the unjust suspension to the recall, we survived the recall, we survived the blockage of the road and water ways that we had to fly with Helicopter into Kogi state .we survived the blackmail from the woman from the Facebook,.You Know it’s amazing what we’ve survived,’ she said .
The senator thanked all those who stood by her in her fight against alleegd injustice and oppression. ‘I give God Almighty the glory and my deepest appreciation to the good people of Kogi Central, Kogi State and Nigeria at large.’
‘ My husband my love, I love you dearly.In short I pray that all men support their wives as much as you’ve supported me. And my children thank you foff your sacrifices.’
She argued that at times it is good to push institutions to test.’We can’t cow down in the face of injustice.No one is more Nigerian than us,Senator Akpabio is not more of a Senator than I am. He is not the governor of this place .He treated me as if I was his servant or I was a domestic staff in his house.’
Sen.Akpoti-Uduaghan said it was ‘unfortunate that at this time,after so many years of democracy, we would still a national assembly being run by such dictatorship.It is totally unacceptable.’
While she was happy to be back, she pointed out that no day passed without her carrying out her duties as a Senator to the very best of her capacity, ‘No day passed without me looking out for opportunities either in terms of infrastructure or projects for my people , or even jobs for my people wherever I could .
She stressed ‘I didn’t want them to suffer by the vacuum that was created by this injustice.’