In an interview with Brekete Family, a human rights program, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke about the recent clash between her and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
It would be recalled that a heated exchange erupted in the Senate chamber when Senator Natasha refused to vacate her seat following a directive from Akpabio. The confrontation began when Akpabio ordered Natasha to move to a new seat as part of a revised seating arrangement. However, Natasha vehemently refused, sparking a loud and intense argument
However, Senator Natasha has stated that she did speak out of order and only acted to protect her rights as a senator. She mentioned that when Akpabio was about to announce her suspension, she quickly invoked a Senate rule known as Order 10. She explained that this rule allows a senator to claim their right to fair treatment if they feel they are being unfairly targeted. She explained that instead of suspending a senator immediately, the proper process would be to send the case to the Ethics and Privileges Committee, which acts like a panel to review the issue.
Natasha disclosed that invoking this rule was the only way to avoid being suspended on the spot. She said that if she had not spoken up at that moment, she would have been suspended from the Senate without a fair hearing.
You can watch the video from 6:17.
In Natasha’s words: “I did not speak out of order, he (Akpabio) was reading my suspension and I had to invoke order 10 which is an order of privilege which meant instead of suspending me, if you find me faulty in any area send me to face the ethics and privileges committee, almost like a panel. That was what I did. I had to invoke that order which was a right of every senator who felt their rights were being infringed upon. If I had not done that I would have been suspended on the floor so I had to say that to prevent the suspension at that point.
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