The Traffic

🔥 Akpabio Fires Back: “Natasha Lied About Court Order – It Was Political Theatre, Not Senate Business”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has slammed suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, accusing her of orchestrating a "media circus" with false claims that she had court approval to resume her seat.

Through his media strategist Kenny Okolugbo, Akpabio described her July 22 return attempt as "deliberate provocation staged for the cameras", claiming no court expressly ordered her reinstatement.

📣 “There was no formal notification to the Senate leadership or the Clerk,” Okolugbo stated in an interview with Vanguard. “No court mandated the Senate to act. What we saw was theatre, not legislation.”

🎭 A Scene at the Gate
Okolugbo accused Natasha of storming the National Assembly "flanked by street urchins and political hangers-on", calling the move a “calculated attempt to incite public sympathy” based on misinformation. He insisted the judgment she referenced only declared the suspension excessive, not void.

🧾 “Even in her own appeal, Ground 23 admits the judgment fell short of setting the suspension aside. That should end the debate.”

📬 Clerk Already Responded
Okolugbo revealed that Natasha’s lawyer, Juan Numa, SAN, had written to the Senate — and got a reply from the Clerk. Yet, instead of waiting for Senate deliberation, she “chose optics over order,” he added.

🧨 From Legal Relief to Media Drama
He claims Natasha bypassed due process and leveraged “media dramatics” to falsely portray herself as a victim, ignoring the clear pathway to reinstatement: a public apology.

“Her defiance has dragged this out. The Senate offered a way back. She just didn’t take it.”

Akpabio’s camp isn’t budging. Unless Natasha retracts her claims and tenders an apology, the drama — and legal battle — appears far from over.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna