Political Activist, Aisha Yesufu, has vowed to stand by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), saying the Senator has every right to resume office despite opposition from the Senate.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Yesufu stated that she and others would accompany Akpoti-Uduaghan to the National Assembly, asserting that the embattled senator had every right to resume office following a court judgement.
“I think Senator Natasha has every right to resume office, and by tomorrow — she is not going to resume alone. There are people who are going to go with her, and I’ll be one of them. We’ll be with her and stand with her. And if the Senate decides they are going to kill us, let them kill us”.
Yesufu condemned what she described as systemic discrimination against women in Nigerian politics.
“We are not even one-third. Out of 109 senators, we have only four women. Yet you go after them — you’re going after this particular lady who has done nothing other than discharge her duty the way it should be. Enough of us being treated in this country as if we are second-class citizens,” she stated.
Describing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as unconstitutional, Yesufu berated the Senate for disregarding a valid court ruling.
“The suspension by the Senate is unconstitutional. It’s unlawful. It should never have happened in the first place — especially coming from an institution supposed to uphold the constitution. The court didn’t stop Natasha from going in, so she has a right to resume office. The court has ruled that the whole suspension is unconstitutional. The Senate didn’t make Natasha a senator — her people did — and there’s no way you can deprive them of their representation,” the activist stated.
