Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has vowed to take her case against her lock out from the National Assembly to the Court of Appeal.
MJConcept TV News reports that she spoke after she was stopped from entering the National Assembly on Tuesday, despite a court order asking that she be reinstated.
She had planned to resume her duties based on a ruling from the Federal High Court. However, when she arrived at the National Assembly, security officials blocked her from going inside. The incident led to frustration among her supporters and many others watching the situation.
Speaking to journalists shortly after she was turned away, Akpoti-Uduaghan expressed her anger. She blamed the Senate leadership and its president for ignoring the court’s ruling.
“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,” she said.
The senator said that refusing to obey the court’s decision is a serious threat to the rule of law and a bad example for Nigeria’s democracy.
“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?” she added.
She also questioned the legal process used to suspend her in the first place, calling it flawed and not done properly.
“Even the suspension ab initio was fraudulent, the document was faulty,” she said.
Despite the setback, the senator said she remains committed to using legal methods to seek justice. She announced that she would soon meet with her lawyers to plan the next legal step.
“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,” Senator Natasha said of her plan to seek help from the Court of Appeal.
As of now, the Senate leadership has not released any official response to the situation.