Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi) has vowed not to apologize as a precondition for resuming her legislative duties, especially as her action was borne of what she described as her resistance to injustice.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Fresh from her six-month suspension by the leadership of the Senate, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi) has vowed not to apologize as a precondition for resuming her legislative duties, especially as her action was borne of what she described as her resistance to injustice.
The Senator who had been shunted out of activities in the legislative house, since March, gained access to her office at the Senate wing of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
She spoke with journalists shortly after her office was unsealed by an official of the Sergeant-at-Arms. The lawmaker, however, noted that she would keep further comments reserved for now, as some issues were still pending.
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“I am going to be quite limited with what I’ll say. In the weeks to come, I will have much to say,” she told reporters.
According to her, she had not been officially communicated on conditions attached to her resumption. She said her concern stemmed from reports suggesting that a motion may be raised calling on her to tender an apology.
“So, I am actually worried as to what apology they expect from me. You can’t apologize for an injustice,” she said.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained that her suspension was unjust and insisted she would not apologize as a precondition for resuming her legislative duties.
Reflecting on her recent experiences, she said she and her supporters had endured many challenges during the period of her suspension but expressed gratitude to the people of Kogi Central, her family, and her colleagues who stood by her.
“In everything, it just shows that sometimes it’s good to put the institutions to test. We can’t be cowed in the face of injustice. No one is more Nigerian than us,” she said.
She further urged Nigerians not to give up on the country despite its challenges, expressing confidence that there was “light at the end of the tunnel.”
Security operatives and the Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly on Tuesday unsealed office occupied by embattled Kogi Central lawmaker. With this development, the Red Chamber has now granted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator access to her office and the National Assembly premises
The move also signals that the lingering rift between Senator Natasha and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio is easing.
