The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, has appealed to the Chairman of Senate Services, Sen. Steve Karimi, to forgive his colleague from Kogi State, Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for her conduct on the floor of the Red Chamber on Thursday.
“I can see that you feel very hurt. You came under Order 10 of our rules. This is the Nigerian Senate. The matter, according to our rules, is to be referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
“I appeal that we do not go further. The matter will be dealt with at the appropriate time,” Akpabio said, calming Karimi.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, had protested the reallocation of her seat on Thursday by forcibly removing her name tag from her new seat and placing it on her previous seat.
She also verbally attacked Sen. Karimi, accusing him of being responsible for the seat reallocation.
However, Karimi, who represents Ogun West, raised a matter of privilege on the Senate floor, reporting Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct and requesting a referral to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges for investigation and enforcement of the Senate’s rules.
Narrating his ordeal, Karimi said Akpoti-Uduaghan caused an uproar in the chamber by “shouting my name all over the place.”
He continued, “Earlier this morning before sitting, there was an uproar in the chamber over the change of seats.
“The President of the Senate has the power to change seats at any time without prior notice.
Sen. Samson Ekong was the first person who approached me regarding the change of seats, and I told him I wasn’t even aware.
“Before long, Sen. Natasha was shouting my name all over the place. I want to say that my privilege has been breached.”
Karimi, visibly upset, recalled how the Kogi State caucus rallied around Akpoti-Uduaghan when she first joined the Senate.
“When she arrived here, we fought for her to ensure she got a chairmanship position.
“I don’t understand why the chamber should be turned upside down over seating arrangements. I want her to come out and apologize to us,” he added.
However, Akpabio further appealed to Karimi to forgive Akpoti-Uduaghan’s actions and not insist on strictly following Senate rules, which could have led to her being sanctioned.
