Natasha’s Suspension: Senate Not Banana Republic, Rules Must Be Obeyed — Spokesman. - Thepodiummedia

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Post published:September 11, 2025
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The Senate has said that its activities are guided by rules that must be obeyed.

Chairman, Senate Committee on media and public affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, stated this during a one-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja.

Adaramodu, while speaking on the recent controversy involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, said the upper chamber was not a banana republic.

‘The National Assembly is not a banana republic. We operate under rules that must be obeyed. It’s important that Nigerians are made to understand this, and you, the journalists covering the Senate, have a key role to play,” the senator stated.

He asked journalists covering parliamentary activities to take up the responsibility of educating Nigerians on the standing rules, to prevent misconceptions surrounding disciplinary actions taken during plenary sessions.

Highlighting the importance of accurate and informed reporting on parliamentary procedures, Senator Adaramodu underscored that one of the key rules that the public often misunderstand is Section 6(1) of the Senate Standing Rules, which empowers the President of the Senate to allocate and reallocate seats to senators as necessary.

He explained that incidents such as the one involving Akpoti-Uduaghan often stemmed from a lack of understanding or refusal to adhere to laid-down rules.

He said, “Journalists, like lawmakers, are expected to be knowledgeable about the Senate’s standing rules. When a senator fails to observe these rules, it is your duty to inform the public accurately.

“If a senator is assigned seat number 10 and chooses to sit on seat number 13, that senator will not be recognised by the Senate President. If the person insists on being recognised, trouble will certainly ensue.”

He further noted that seat assignments were not permanent and may be adjusted at the discretion of the Senate President in line with the rules, adding that obedience to legislative procedures is critical to maintaining order and credibility in the National Assembly.

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Morak Babajide-Alabi is a graduate of Mass Communication with a Master of Arts Degree in Journalism from Napier University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. He is an experienced Social Media practitioner with a strong passion for connecting with customers of brands.

Morak works as part of a team currently building an e-commerce project for the Volkswagen Group UK. Before this, he worked on the social media accounts of SKODA, Audi, SEAT, CUPRA, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. In this job, he brought his vast experience in journalism, marketing, and search engine optimisation to play to make sure the brands are well represented on social media. He monitored the performance of marketing campaigns and data analysis of all volumes of social media interaction for the brands.

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Morak is a writer, blogger, journalist, and social media “enthusiast”. He has several publications and projects to his credit with over 20 years of experience writing and editing for print and online media in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Morak is a dependable team player who succeeds in a high-pressure environment. He started his professional career with the flagship of Nigerian journalism – The Guardian Newspapers in 1992 where he honed his writing and editing skills before joining TELL Magazine. He has edited, reported for, and produced newspapers and magazines in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Morak is involved in the development of information management tools for the healthcare sector in Africa. He is on the board of DeMiTAG HealthConcepts Limited, a company with branches in London, Lagos, and Abuja, to make healthcare information available at the fingertips of professionals. DeMiTAG HealthConcepts Limited achieved this by collaborating with notable informatics companies. It had partnered in the past with Avia Informatics Plc and i2i TeleSolutions Pvt.

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Brief Profile of Ademola Akinbola

Ademola AKINBOLA is an author, publisher, trainer, digital marketing strategist, and a brand development specialist with nearly three decades of experience in the areas of branding, communication, corporate reputation management, business development, organizational change management, and digital marketing.

He is the Founder and Head Steward at BrandStewards Limited, a brand and reputation management consultancy. He is also the Publisher of The Podium International Magazine, Ile-Oluji Times, and Who’s Who in Ile-Oluji.

He had a successful media practice at The Guardian, Punch and This Day.

He started his brand management career at Owena Bank as Media Relations Manager before joining Prudent Bank (now Polaris Bank) as the pioneer Head of Corporate Affairs.

The British Council appointed him as Head of Communication and Marketing to co-ordinate branding and reputation management activities at its Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt offices.

In 2007, he was recruited as the Head of Corporate Planning and Strategy for the Nigerian Aviation Handling company. He led on the branding, strategic planning and stakeholder management support function.

His job was later expanded and redesigned as Head of Corporate Communication and Business Development with the mandate to continue to execute the Board’s vision in the areas of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Branding and New Businesses.

In 2010, he voluntarily resigned from nacho aviance to focus on managing BrandStewards, a reputation and brand management firm he established in 2003. BrandStewards has successfully executed branding, re-branding and marketing communication projects for clients in the private and public sectors.

Ademola obtained a M.Sc. Degree in Digital Marketing & Web Analytics from Dublin Institute of Technology in 2016, and the Master of Communication Arts degree of the University of Ibadan in 1997. He had previously obtained a Higher National Diploma (with Upper Credit) in Mass Communication from Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta.

He has published several articles and authored five management books.

He has benefitted from several domestic and international training programmes on Brand Management, Corporate Communications, Change Management and Organizational Strategy.