Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, has vowed to consult with her legal team and appeal to a higher court after being denied entry into the legislative complex despite a valid court order reinstating her.
Earlier this year, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the Senate for six months. However, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court recently nullified the suspension, prompting the senator to resume her legislative duties. But upon arriving at the National Assembly on Tuesday, security officials blocked her from entering the premises.
Addressing journalists after the incident, Akpoti-Uduaghan criticized the Senates actions, accusing the leadership under Senate President Godswill Akpabio of disregarding the rule of law.
Akpabio cannot be greater than the Nigerian Constitution. The Office of the Senate President does not confer legitimacy on me as a senator. That legitimacy comes from the people of Kogi who elected me, she said.
She stressed that the appeal filed by the Senate does not override the existing court ruling.
The fact that an appeal has been filed does not nullify Justice Nyakos judgment, and it certainly does not strip me of my mandate. The denial of my access to the National Assembly is now a matter of public recordthis is outright contempt of court by lawmakers who should be upholding the law. It raises critical concerns about the state of our democracy, she added.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also questioned the legality of her initial suspension, describing the document used as faulty and fraudulent.
Looking ahead, she confirmed plans to escalate the matter legally.
I will be meeting with my legal team to approach the appellate court for an interpretation of todays events. I remain a law-abiding citizen, she said.
As of the time this report was filed, the Senate leadership had not issued any response to the court ruling or Tuesdays developments.
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