Suspended lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has vowed to escalate her legal battle to the Court of Appeal following her denial of entry into the National Assembly on Tuesday, despite a valid Federal High Court ruling ordering her reinstatement.
Naijaonpoint reports that the senator, who had earlier declared her intention to resume plenary based on the judgment of Justice Binta Nyako, was stopped at the gates of the National Assembly by security operatives, sparking outrage among her supporters and other observers.
Speaking to journalists shortly after being turned back, an enraged Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate leadership of acting in contempt of court.
She said, “Akpabio cannot be greater than the Nigerian Constitution. The Office of the Senate President does not give me legitimacy. My legitimacy comes from the people of Kogi who voted me in. The court has ruled in my favour, and an appeal does not invalidate that ruling.”
The senator maintained that the Senate’s refusal to comply with the Federal High Court’s ruling was a blatant violation of the rule of law and a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy.
The lawmaker further stated, “That I’ve been denied entrance to the National Assembly is a clear statement. The National Assembly under Akpabio has chosen to act in contempt of court. It’s ironic that those who make laws are the first to break them. How far have we come in our democracy?”
Akpoti-Uduaghan also took aim at the legal basis for her initial suspension, which she described as “fraudulent and procedurally flawed.”
“Even the suspension ab initio was fraudulent, the document was faulty,” she said.
Determined to challenge what she described as a “constitutional crisis,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said she would be meeting with her legal team to initiate further legal proceedings.
She said, “Going forward, I will meet with my legal team to proceed to the appellate court for interpretation of what just happened. I am a law-abiding citizen and will continue to pursue justice through due process.”
As of press time, the Senate leadership had yet to issue any official statement regarding Tuesday’s standoff.