Senate President Godswill Akpabio has commented on the issue of court-declared senators, stating that lawmakers who reclaimed their electoral mandates through legal battles are contributing to some of the problems facing the upper legislative chamber.
Akpabio’s remarks came in response to Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, who caused a disruption in the Senate on February 20, rejecting her assigned seat and defying Akpabio’s order. Akpoti-Uduaghan also repeatedly raised points of order, which were overruled by the Senate President.
Akpabio noted that the situation arose from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lack of understanding of the Senate’s standing orders and procedures. He explained that this incident was an example of how senators who enter the chamber later after reclaiming their seats through the courts often miss crucial orientation. He ordered the National Assembly management to organize periodic orientations for such senators to ensure they are well-versed in Senate procedures.
Akpabio said, “I think part of the problem is when people come from court… court-declared senators; they missed the orientation,” adding that the national assembly’s management should ensure new senators, especially those who join midstream, receive training on the legislative process. He recalled that on the day Akpoti-Uduaghan was sworn in, she had immediately raised her hand to speak, which surprised him. He expressed concerns that while it’s okay to be energetic, it is problematic when a senator doesn’t understand the rules and procedures.
In response to the incident, Akpabio also announced that Akpoti-Uduaghan would face disciplinary action over her behavior during the plenary.
Legal Battle: Akpoti-Uduaghan Sues Akpabio for Defamation
Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan has taken legal action against Akpabio, filing a N100 billion defamation lawsuit. She alleges that both Akpabio and Mfon Patrick, Akpabio’s legislative aide, made defamatory comments about her. Akpoti-Uduaghan seeks an apology and a public retraction of the remarks, demanding that they be published in a national newspaper.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s political journey has been marked by a contentious electoral process. After Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner of the Kogi Central senatorial seat by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in February 2023, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represented the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), contested the results, citing irregularities in the election. Following her petition, the National Assembly Petitions Tribunal annulled Sadiku-Ohere’s victory, and the Court of Appeal in Abuja later affirmed Akpoti-Uduaghan as the rightful winner. She was sworn in as the senator representing Kogi Central in November 2023.
This ongoing legal and political tension has added complexity to her role in the Senate, where she is now at the center of both procedural and legal disputes.
