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Akpabio: Natasha, court-ordered Senator, inexperienced *Set for Senate hammer
Godswill Akapabio, President of the Senate, on Tuesday, upped the ante over last week’s engagement with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi Central at the National Assembly, all but describing her as grossly inexperienced, which manifested in her conduct that was completely at variance with parliamentary rules.
Akpabio, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, spoke on the day the Senate referred the case of the Senator, which threw the legislative chambers into a rowdy session on Thursday, February 20 to the Ethics, Code of Conducts and Public Petitions, to treat the matter, as members called for sanctions against her.
Before the motion was put to the floor, Akpabio, who harped on the need to study the ground rules of the Senate by all the lawmakers, ordered the NASS administration to make it mandatory to organise periodic training for members, especially those coming late into the chambers.
Using the case of Akpoti-Uduaghan, he narrated how she began to falter from the first day of joining the Senate even before opening the rulebooks, adding that the penchant for hastiness in engaging on the floor without the rudiments of learning the ropes that led to embarrassing confrontation, last week.
Hear him: “Even the first time the issue came up here, our distinguished sister was not even speaking from her seat and that was when we tried to call her to order. I think part of the problem is when people come from the courts – court-declared Senators – they miss the orientation.
“The management of the National Assembly is hereby ordered to organise periodic orientations particularly for Senators who are mid-streamers, who came midstream and did not start when their colleagues started. I remember that this particular Senator on the day she was sworn in, raised her hand to speak.
“I was scared, but I had to recognise her, because I was saying, we just gave her the rulebook – part of what we give to you is the standing order of the Senate – so, I said, has she even opened the rulebook to know what she’s going to say?
“But she made a contribution on that day and I think two days later she brought a motion. There’s nothing wrong about being vibrant, but there’s a lot wrong when you don’t know about the procedure. You can’t be a reverend father and go and start a church service with communion. You must lay the foundation.”
Akpabio cited Order 66(2) and Section 55 of Senate rules, which empowered him to walk out unruly members from the Senate chambers even for a whole day’s session, maintaining that there must be decorum.
Stressing the need for order and discipline within the assembly chambers, the former governor said that even Senators who engaged in other unwelcome conducts such chewing gum, drinking water or being disruptive during sittings, risked being sanctioned.
“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,” he added.
The Senate, however, unanimously voted to refer the matter to the committee for disciplinary review over the issue prompted from the Kogi Senator’s rejection of a rearranged sitting arrangement, which would require her moving from her original seat to another.
The Senate referred the matter to the Committee headed by Neda Imaseun, after revisiting the controversy, which has continued to attract public commentaries through a motion raised under Order 1(b) and 10, regarding the sponsors described as Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “extreme intransigence.”
Brought by Yemi Adaramodu, Senate spokesman, who stated that the media had been awash with the issue, stressed how he had been working on mending the perception of the 10th Senate, adding: “The Senate is not a platform for content creation but a place for lawmaking and oversight functions. The Senate leadership must enforce discipline. Where there is sin, there must be a penalty.”
Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Leader, echoing the sentiments, added: “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.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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