A former presidential aspirant on the Action Democratic Party (ADP) platform, Mathias Tsado, has berated the Senate for failing to reinstate the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, despite a Federal High Court order overturning her suspension.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Tsado stated that the person who is supposed to be the Senate’s number nine striker is being attacked.
The ADP chieftain argued that despite her many battles, the lawmaker is still touching the lives of Nigerians, adding that she deserves to be worshipped by the senate.
Dismissing why the Senate refused to reinstate the lawmaker, he wondered if they would also demand a CTC if she were sent to jail.
He said, “I was reading a poll conducted by the API (Africa Polling Institute), and they said 82 per cent of Nigerians do not have confidence in the Nigerian Senate. Now, their star girl, the person who is supposed to be their number nine striker, is the one they are attacking.
“In the midst of all this, Senator Natasha is still touching the lives of the people. She has become a source of inspiration to many young people. The Senate should have been worshipping her, saying, ‘You are our star girl.”
Speaking further, Tsado stated that the Senate had no legal standing to delay her return.
“It’s rather unfortunate that we have reduced ourselves as a country to these kinds of deliberations. From the very beginning, we saw how the Senate mishandled Natasha’s situation. For someone , a woman, to fight her way, against all odds, into the Senate is inspiring.
“And yet, the Senate says it cannot admit her without the CTC of the judgment. They don’t have the right to admit her in the first place. It’s unfortunate that when judgments are delivered in Nigeria, which are supposed to be clear and unambiguous, the enforcement is selective.
“If the judge had declared that Senator Natasha should be imprisoned, would they be waiting for the CTC? When she was found guilty of contempt and asked to pay ₦5 million, did they wait for the CTC before they started talking about it?” he said.
Tsado said the real issue is that the Senate acted outside its powers, but urged the lawmakers to act decisively.
“They suspended someone beyond the 14 days allowed in their rule book. That is illegal. If Natasha is being punished by the court for contempt, who punishes the Senate for overreaching their constitutional limits?
“I heard her yesterday when she said she would wait for the documents before resuming. But I am calling on the Nigerian Senate: man up, forget about this theatre. These are not the things Nigerians want to see,” he said.