A Seriake Dickson-led visiting team paid a courtesy visit to the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Friday, following her six-month suspension from the Senate.
The former Bayelsa State Governor, who is a member of the Senateโs Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, Privileges, and Public Petitions, made the visit alongside some senators from the opposition party.
Speaking, Dickson revealed that his schedule had been swamped, owing largely to his engagement with the tax reform bills, which had, in turn, kept him away from the Senateโs proceedings on the day Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended.
“The public may remember that I have been attending a three-day workshop on the Tax Reform Bills for the past three days, which began on Wednesday, March 5, and ended this evening, Friday, March 7. This is the reason I was unable to attend yesterdayโs meeting of the Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, Privileges, and Public Petitions regarding the suspension of our colleague, Distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan. The Committee Chairman has assured me that the hearing will take place on Wednesday, March 11, for which notices have already been sent. Yesterdayโs emergency seating was not communicated to me.
“After wrapping up the retreat this evening, I accompanied a group of senators from opposition parties to visit our colleague Senator Natasha and had a meeting with her and her spouse at their residence.โ
Senator Dickson reiterated that Senators often experience their highs and lows like everyone else, and as such, it has become a tradition for Senators to support each other during these moments.
โWe offered prayers, words of encouragement, and guidance on a speedy resolution of the issues surrounding her suspension after hearing more from her and her husband for the first time. I will talk with my colleagues about how to step in and work with the Senate leadership to find a quick solution to the problems,โ he added.
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