Former Kaduna State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mark Jacobs, has faulted the Senate’s refusal to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan resume after serving her six-month suspension.
Gatekeepers News reports that appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Jacobs argued that the Kogi Central lawmaker does not need a court ruling before returning to plenary.
“What I see is a further display of impunity gone wild. The Senate has always insisted that nobody, including the courts, should interfere with its constitutional powers to discipline members.
Yet, the same Senate suspended this woman for six months, and when those six months expired, there should be no confusion; she should have been allowed to resume her seat,” he said.
The Senate had on Tuesday acknowledged Natasha’s letter indicating her readiness to resume but said it would not act until the court concludes her case. The lawmaker was suspended in March for violating Senate rules, a decision she challenged in court in July.
Jacobs, however, accused the Senate of double standards, noting that a court had already declared her suspension unconstitutional.
“You cannot blow hot and cold at the same time. You cannot say the courts should not interfere in your internal affairs and then turn around to rely on the court process to delay compliance with your own rules. Six months should be six months, no discussion, no hesitation,” he insisted.
He further criticised the Senate for allegedly frustrating the judicial process with endless objections instead of allowing the substantive case to be heard.
“They keep filing one objection or the other to make sure we don’t get to a hearing. If they believe they have evidence against her, let the matter proceed in court. But you can’t keep the case stalled and at the same time deny her return after the suspension period has lapsed,” Jacobs added.
