Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has vowed to escalate her legal battle to the Court of Appeal following her denial into the National Assembly (NASS) on Tuesday to resume representing the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District, following a court ruling.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Senator Natasha stormed NASS in the company of her supporters but was denied access.
Natasha, who had earlier vowed to resume legislative activities on Tuesday, arrived at the NASS complex at exactly 12.20 pm. Among those who accompanied her were a prominent political activist, Aisha Yesufu and several of her supporters.
However, the suspended Senator was barred from accessing the main building by security personnel.
Speaking to journalists, a visibly upset 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.”