Sen Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly was absent on Tuesday, February 25, during plenary, days after her altercation with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio over a change in her seating arrangement.
Her absence has fueled speculation about possible disciplinary actions, although it remains unclear if she deliberately stayed away or was formally penalized.
The plenary, which commenced at 12:10 p.m. and lasted until 3:00 p.m., was presided over by Akpabio from start to finish, with no interruptions. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat remained vacant throughout the session.
The absence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator has intensified discussions on how the Senate leadership plans to address the incident.
The dispute began last Thursday when Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at the chamber to discover that her seat had been moved from the second-to-last row of the minority section to the last row without prior notice.
She objected to the change and insisted on reclaiming her previous seat, leading to a tense standoff with Akpabio, who ruled her actions as a violation of Senate protocol.
During the altercation, Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno invoked Section 6(1) of the Senate Standing Rules, which grants the Senate President the authority to reassign seats when necessary.
Monguno defended the seat reallocation, citing recent defections of opposition senators to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the reason for the adjustment.
He warned that failure to comply with seating assignments could attract penalties, including possible exclusion from legislative discussions.
Akpoti-Uduaghan Ordered Out Of Chamber
Akpoti-Uduaghan, determined to make her case, raised her hand to protest but was denied the opportunity to speak by Akpabio.
As tensions escalated, Akpabio muted her microphone and ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove her from the chamber, a move that sparked reactions among her supporters and opposition lawmakers.
