ABUJA- THE Senate has begun the probe of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) over her action last Thursday during plenary session.
Consequently, the Senate on Monday pushed the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions led by Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South).
The committee has been charged to carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and report back in two weeks.
Resolution of the Senate was sequel to its consideration and adoption of a report presented by the Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South).
In his presentation, Adaramadu informed the Senate that the uproar during plenary on Thursday last week where Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan openly challenged the Senate President Godswill Akpabio over allocation of new seat to her had done grave damage to the image of the Senate.
According to him, he has been going from one media house to another to explain the side of the red chamber on the issue saying that as the image maker of the Senate, it is difficult to mend an image that has been broken to pieces as a result of the posturing of Akpoti-Uduaghan over a simple matter like seat reallocation and committee chairmanship.
Last Thursday, Akpoti-Uduaghan created a scene during plenary by refusing to accept a new seat allocated to her and openly defied Akpabio by reading a point of order despite having been ruled out of order.
In their contributions, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central); Minority Leader, Abba Moro (PDP, Ondo South) and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) among others, lamented over the conduct displayed by Akpoti-Uduaghan and recommended that the matter be referred to its appropriate organ for further investigation.
According to them, her actions contravened relevant sections of the Senate Standing Orders which give the presiding office the power to allocate seats and equally maintain order and decorum within the chambers.
They equally faulted her for taking a matter that happened within chambers and made a media issue for which the red chambers continue to receive negative publicity and image bashing.
Senators voted to approve that the issue be referred the ethics committee for investigation and to report back to the Senate in two weeks.
Details soon…
