Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has vowed to resume at the Senate on Tuesday.
Glamtush reports that the senator representing Kogi Central district, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is insisting she will resume at the Senate on Tuesday, July 22, in line with the judgement of the court, despite the appeal by the president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
“I have pretty much two months more before the six months expire. However, I have written to the Senate again telling them that I’m resuming on the 22nd, which is on Tuesday, by the special grace of God,” she said in her Ihima hometown of Kogi on Saturday.
“I will be there, because the court did make the decision on that. Now, they argue that it’s an order — it’s not an order, but it is a decision.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is in her constituency for a training programme to empower her constituents, says that though her suspension did not stop her from working for her constituency, it hampered a major part of her responsibilities — which is to sponsor bills and motions on the floor of the Senate.
She said, “I did mention that every senator has three major functions. Legislative — which is the creation of laws and review of treaties. Then we have oversight — which is to oversee ministers and agencies. And then the third is representation, which I’m doing.
“Whereby I identify the problems and the challenges of my community, and I make sure I present them and have them captured in the federal budget. And I have done pretty well with that. Of course, I do miss putting up my bills there, but it didn’t stop me from working.”
The lawmaker said she has communicated her intentions to resume on Tuesday in a letter to the Senate.
On March 6, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for breaching its rules.
The suspension came amid her allegation of sexual harassment against Senator Akpabio. The Kogi lawmaker, however, took the matter to court, challenging her suspension.
In July, the Federal High Court, Abuja, asked the Senate to recall her from the suspension. The Senate president, however, is appealing the matter and has taken it to the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
