Senate Blames Natasha Crisis on Disregard for Rules, Tasks Journalists to Clarify Standing Orders
The Senate has linked the crisis involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan earlier this year to a refusal to obey its standing rules, stressing that journalists must help Nigerians understand the procedures guiding parliamentary conduct.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), made this assertion on Wednesday in Abuja, saying misconceptions around the Natasha episode could have been avoided if the public was better informed about parliamentary rules.
He pointed to Section 6(1) of the Senate Standing Rules, which empowers the Senate President to allocate and re-allocate seats to senators at any time. According to him, the controversy arose when seat allocations were ignored.
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“If you are supposed to sit on seat number 10 and you go to sit on seat number 13, you will not be recognized by the President of the Senate. If the person insists on recognition, ‘katakata’ will surely follow,” Adaramodu explained.
He stressed that Senate rules are binding on all lawmakers and must be understood by Nigerians to prevent misinterpretations of disciplinary actions taken during plenary.
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