The Senator representing Bayelsa West in the Senate, Henry Seriake Dickson (HSD), has said that as a member of the Senate Committee on Code of Conduct, Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, he was not part of the deliberation to suspend the Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the Senate.
LEADERSHIP reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months on Thursday after the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee following the female lawmaker’s face-off with the Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangement in the Red Chamber penultimate week.
Days later, the crisis took a new turn when Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, among others, on a live TV show.
However, Senator Dickson, a fellow PDP lawmaker like Natasha, provided fresh insights on how the Kogi Central Senator was summarily suspended.
The Bayelsa West Senator, who took to his verified Facebook page after he and other opposition Senators paid what looked like a solidarity visit to the embattled Senator Natasha and her husband, Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, in their Abuja home on Friday, also said that the female Senator revealed more to them, hence he will work on how to reconcile both parties.
Senator Dickson wrote: “The public may recall that, for the past 3 days, I was attending the 3 day workshop on the Tax Reform Bills which started on Wednesday 5th of March and ended this evening, Friday 7th of March. This is why I was not available yesterday to sit as a member of the Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, Privileges and Public Petitions in respect of the issues concerning our colleague Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan’s suspension, haven been assured by the Committee Chairman that the hearing would hold on Wednesday the 11th of March for which notices had already been issued. I was not notified of the emergency seating yesterday.
“As a result of the strong views I had already canvassed, my colleagues and I were working on the Tax Reform Bills yesterday and as such was unable to join the plenary sitting which considered the report of the Ethics Committee that deliberated and approved the suspension.
“This evening after concluding the retreat, I led a delegation of some senators of opposition parties on a visit to our colleague Senator Natasha and met with her and her husband at their home.
“Senators as humans, have their low and high moments and it is a tradition for Senators to support each other during these moments.
“We offered words of encouragement, prayers and advice on a quick resolution of the issues surrounding her suspension. Having heard more from her and her husband for the first time, I will discuss with other colleagues on how to intervene and engage with the leadership of the senate to resolve the issues as soon as possible.”
