Former lawmaker representing Adamawa North in the Senate, Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo, has declared that no one can recall the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the 10th Senate.
Abbo made the assertion during an interview on Arise News Channel’s PrimeTime show on Wednesday night, monitored by our correspondent.
He criticised the Senate’s handling of Natasha’s suspension and accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of political bias and high handedness.
Abbo argued that Akpabio’s approach to Natasha’s suspension was unfair, especially given his own past conduct in the Senate. He recalled how Akpabio, during the 8th Senate, had a case with the then Senate President, Bukola Saraki, which was resolved with “maturity.”
“In the case of Natasha, it took a different dimension,” Abbo said. “He sat like the emperor that he claims he is and said the woman should be suspended for six months, withdrew her security, stopped payment of her salary, barred her from being seen near the National Assembly building, and even ordered the Inspector General of Police not to provide her with security.”
He further argued that by withdrawing Natasha’s security, Akpabio had put her life at risk. “In another way, he exposed her to be killed. When you withdraw somebody’s security—which is not right—that means you are exposing her to be killed. The IG realised that it was not a good thing to do because if tomorrow they hear that Natasha is killed, something will happen.”
Raising questions about the legality of Natasha’s suspension, Abbo compared her case to Akpabio’s past conduct in the Senate.
“If Akpabio was not suspended because of a seat in the 8th Assembly, why are you suspending Natasha for six months if your only motivation is because of a seat?” he asked.
Abbo also pointed out that Natasha had obtained a court injunction barring the Senate from investigating her alleged misconduct until the substantive case was heard. However, he alleged that the Senate ignored the court’s ruling.
“The Senate went against the court judgement and suspended her—that is contempt of court,” he said. “It was after they finished suspending Natasha that they went to court to vacate the order barring them. And I’m sorry to use this word, but instead of arresting Akpabio for contempt of court, the judge cowardly vacated his own judgement and recused himself from the case.”
Speaking on planned recall of Natasha from the Senate, Abbo dismissed that the process was gaining any momentum, insisting that it was a fraudulent scheme.
“Senator Natasha should continue doing what she is doing,” he declared. “I heard that they want to recall her—nobody can recall Natasha. Take note and write it down, we are not a banana republic. They went to forge signatures.”
