THE Senate has referred Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, to its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review following her recent rift with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over sitiing arrangements last week, Thursday, February 20.
The committee, led by Neda Imaseun, has been given two weeks to present its findings.
The decision was made through a voice vote after Yemi Adaramodu raised a motion under Order 1(b) and 10, condemning what he described as Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “extreme intransigence” during the Senate session on February 20.
Adaramodu recalled the rift, which attracted nationwide outrage, as he urged the Senate leadership to enforce discipline and warned that “Where there is sin, there must be a penalty.”
“From that Thursday, the media was awash with this issue and I had to work on mending the perception of the 10th Senate. The Senate is not a platform for content creation but a place for lawmaking and oversight functions.”
Backing Adaramodu, another senator, Opeyemi Bamidele, reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to upholding its rules and maintaining internal order.
According to him, “There is no one who does not have an opinion on this issue, but we are unified by our rules. Under our watch, we will not allow this institution to be discredited beyond what we inherited. Integrity is non-negotiable.”
He dismissed claims that the dispute stemmed from gender bias or discrimination, pointing to senior senators who had accepted seat changes without objection.
Responding, Akpabio directed the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to review the incident and report back to the chamber.
He recalled that the Senate rules allow members to sit anywhere, but contributions must be made from their designated seats. He suggested that unfamiliarity with Senate procedures might have contributed to the altercation.
His words, “The first day she was sworn in, she stood up to contribute, and I was worried if she had even read the rule book. There is nothing wrong with being vibrant, but everything wrong with disobeying procedure.”
Citing Order 66(2) and Section 55 of Senate rules, he noted that all senators must conduct themselves with decorum, including prohibitions on chewing gum, drinking water or being disruptive during sittings.
“The rules empower the Senate President to suspend a senator for infractions for at least 14 days. It’s not me who made the rules, it’s in the rule book.”
The ICIR reported on February 20 that Akpabio ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to be ejected from the Senate chamber during a plenary because she disagreed with a change in her seat.
The tension began during plenary when her seat was relocated upon resumption of the session, leading to heated arguments between her and the Senate leadership.
The ICIR also reported that the Senate President’s action caused social media outrage as Nigerians criticised him for the action and described his attitudes towards female senators as not only insulting but a denigration of the female gender and an attempt to stifle female voices.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.