Senate outburst: Focus on your legislative duties, group tells Senator Natasha

A Civil Society Organisation, Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria, has expressed dissatisfaction over last week’s outburst on the floor of the Senate by Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Recall that the Kogi lawmaker had raised her voice over the relocation of her seat from her original position on the second-to-last row of the minority section to the last row.

Senator Natasha had refused to use the seat allocated to her, citing Order 10 of the Senate Standing Rules, which protects the privileges of members. An irked Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had called on Senate security to walk the female lawmaker out of the chambers, but fellow lawmakers’ intervention saved the situation from degenerating out of hand.

The Executive Director, Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria, Barrister Francis Okereke Wainwei, in his statement, declared that Senator Natasha’s outburst was unbecoming of her status as a Federal lawmaker. The Forum advised her to focus on her legislative duties and desist from being a distraction to the Senate and the Nigerian people.

The statement reads in part: “We totally agree with the fact that Sen. Natasha has a constitutionally guaranteed right to speak up against oppression and discriminatory policies targeted at her or when her rights as a senator are infringed upon, but such must also be done in line with the principles of decorum and respect for parliamentary procedures. As a senator, she must thoroughly study the extant procedural rules and conduct herself in accordance with such rules of the Senate. She cannot conduct herself in a manner that shows she’s above the rules of the Senate.

“As the umbrella body of patriotic citizens who are fighting and advocating for the holistic development of our dear country, we are greatly disturbed that a mere conventional change of seats that was occasioned by new defections in the Senate, which wasn’t targeted at Sen. Natasha but also affected other senators, could make her behave in such an unruly manner and create so much negative content that has greatly distracted the Senate and the Nigerian people.

“Let Senator Natasha deploy her energy to supporting and sponsoring bills that will move this country forward and better the lots of the poor masses rather than fighting for a mere sitting position in the Senate that will not contribute in any way to enhancing the quality of her representation or the discharge of her legislative duties. She must give priority attention to her primary responsibility as a legislator if she has to be taken seriously or be considered as a senator that’s in the Senate for the betterment of the country.”

Reacting to the insinuation that the Kogi lawmaker was removed unjustly as Chairperson, Senate Committee on Local Content, the Forum claimed that “findings revealed that she lacked the requisite knowledge to effectively pilot the affairs of the committee and was therefore, very inefficient, hence, her removal and replacement with someone who has better knowledge of the issues and expectations of the committee. Sen. Natasha should stop misleading the public by misrepresenting the facts in issue and own up to her inadequacies, lapses and predicament…

“We are also using this medium to call on the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, not to be distracted by the activities of unpatriotic Nigerians who don’t mean well for the country. He should continue to maintain the highest standard of parliamentary decorum and protect the ethical integrity of the Senate. He should continue to use his great wealth of knowledge and experience to strengthen the National Assembly and re-position it for more productive engagements and better results.”