Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) has been accused of seeking to eat her cake and still have it by appealing the July 4 judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja and still attempting to enforce the same judgment.
A senior lawyer, Ken Harries made this observation while reacting to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s invasion of the National Assembly on Tuesday claiming to want to enforce the judgment of the Federal High Court, which she claimed ordered her recall.
Harries wondered if taking law into one’s hands, as shown by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct on Tuesday, is the right way to enforce a judgment.
“In my many years in legal practice, I have not seen such a display of lawlessness from a suppose federal lawmaker. How do you invade the National Assembly with a group of touts, claiming to want to enforce a judgment?
“There are procedures for judgment enforcement. It is not for an individual to take the law into his or her own hands, create a crisis atmosphere on the pretext of wanting to enforce a judgment,” Harries said.
He recalled that Akpoti-Uduaghan filed an appeal against the judgment about a week ago, faulting the judgment and praying the Court of Appeal to set it aside.
Harries, who queried the rationale behind Akpoti-Uduaghan’s decision to invade the National Assembly, sought to know what judgment she is seeking to enforce.
“How do you enforce a judgment that you have said you are not satisfied with, condemned, appealed and prayed the Court of Appeal to reverse?
“Assuming the judgment is still enforceable, has she complied with all the orders made against her, including that she pay N5million and publish public apology in two newspapers and her Facebook page?
“If she has failed to obey the same judgment by not complying with the orders made against her, what moral standing does she has to accused the leadership of the Senate of being lawless?
“Her lawyers should be in a better position to advise her to learn to be lawful and respect the rule of law,” Harries said.
