On Thursday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio ordered the Senate’s sergeant-at-arm to remove Kogi Central’s Natasha Akpoti from the legislative hall during plenary. It was the latest incident between Akpabio and the Kogi senator indicating a bullying streak.
“Can the sergeant-at-arm please take her out of the Senate?” the senate president said.
Akpoti was moving a motion under Order 10 of the Senate Rules on privileges in response to a motion moved by Muhammed Monguno, the senate chief whip, to direct her to take a seat newly allocated to her due to political defections by some senators.
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Against that order, Akpoti dared Akpabio, saying that she would not move an inch away from her seat.
The Kogi senator then accused Akpabio of frequently silencing her in the Senate, maintaining that it was her right to speak and be heard on behalf of her constituents.
In a short video of the incident recorded by AIT, at least eight individuals rose to pacify Akpoti. Colleagues tried to stop her verbal outburst which stemmed from what she deemed an intentional discrimination by the senate president.
“You (Akpabio) have deliberately silenced me and the voice of Kogi Central on this floor. You have denied me the right to contribute to motions,” she said, adding that the progress of some of her motions had been stalled because of Akpabio’s decisions.
“I have not been able to take the second readings of my numerous debates. So, Mr Senate President, I am not afraid of further being silenced but I will not be shoved to the corner. I choose to remain on this seat as a senator duly elected by my people come what may.”
Akpoti also said that she had endured indignities from Akpabio, some of which she would not be able to talk about publicly.
She then insisted on remaining seated even if Akpabio decided to send her out of the legislative hall.
“The worst you will do, Mr Senate President, is to suspend me from sitting. And I promise you, the fact that I am suspended does not mean that I cease to contribute my quota to the development of my people and Nigerians at large,” Akpoti said.
“Mr Senate President, I have taken a whole lot from you. Some I don’t want to speak [about] publicly. But I will let Nigerians know how you are discriminating against me, how you have maligned me, how you have dehumanised me.
“Your choice of words since I resumed in this Senate have [caused me] to be dehumanised. Mr Senate President, I am not afraid of you. Do what you may but I will not leave this seat.”
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This was not the first time Akpoti and Akpabio would be involved in a verbal brawl.
On July 18, Akpabio disparagingly addressed Akpoti by saying, “We are not in a nightclub.”
Akpabio had corrected the Kogi senator for speaking without being recognised and she immediately apologised.
Rather than stop at the correction, Akpabio went on to make the nightclub comment. Following media and civic pressure, he apologised to the Kogi senator.
The post Akpabio’s ‘Take Her Out’ Order, Akpoti’s Claims Reveal Senate President’s Bullying Behaviour appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.