Former Adamawa North Senator, Elisha Ishaku Abbo, has insisted that no one can recall the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, from the 10th Senate.
Speaking on Arise News Channel’s PrimeTime show on Wednesday night, Abbo criticized the Senate’s decision to suspend Natasha, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of political bias and authoritarianism.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is facing a recall from the Red Chamber. Recently, some of her constituents have decried her performance in the legislature and have submitted a petition for her recall to the electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Abbo dismissed the recall efforts as fraudulent.
“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.”
He argued that Akpabio’s handling of Natasha’s suspension was unfair, especially compared to his own past experiences in the Senate. Citing a dispute between Akpabio and former Senate President Bukola Saraki during the 8th Senate, Abbo noted that the issue 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.”
Abbo warned that withdrawing Natasha’s security put her life in danger. “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.”
Questioning the legality of her 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.
He added, “The Senate went against the court judgement and suspended her—that is contempt of court,” Abbo 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.”