Yemi Adaramodu, the spokesperson of the Senate, has criticized Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, over her confrontation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio regarding seat allocation.
The dispute erupted on Thursday when Akpoti-Uduaghan refused to accept her reassigned seat, citing Order 10 of the Senate standing rules to defend her parliamentary privileges.
Her seat was reassigned following the defection of some opposition members to the ruling party.
However, the Kogi lawmaker rejected the move, accusing the Senate leadership of attempting to suppress her voice.
“I don’t care if I am silenced. I am not afraid of you. You have denied me my privilege,” she declared in a heated exchange with Akpabio.
As tensions escalated, Akpabio ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove Akpoti-Uduaghan from the chamber.
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The situation was eventually calmed by the intervention of other lawmakers.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Adaramodu dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims of being sidelined and bullied, stating that the National Assembly is not a stage for drama or content creation.
“The National Assembly is for serious business, not for entertainment,” Adaramodu stated. “If she is talking about being bullied or sidelined, as a first-time senator, she has already been appointed chairperson of three committees. Normally, a senator is entitled to chair only one.”
He emphasized that the Senate would not revisit the incident, noting that Isah Jubril, another Kogi lawmaker, had already apologized on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s behalf.
“The Senate has accepted that apology, and we are moving forward,” Adaramodu concluded.