KEY POINTS
- Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan served a six-month Senate suspension.
- Legal experts challenge Senate overreach in blocking her return.
- PDP calls the action unconstitutional, violating constituent representation rights.
The controversy over Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension deepened on Tuesday as the Peoples Democratic Party and several Senior Advocates of Nigeria condemned the Senate’s refusal to allow her return when the upper chamber reconvenes on September 23.
Senate suspension of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
The acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, sent Akpoti-Uduaghan a letter on September 4 formally notifying her that her six-month suspension, imposed on March 6, remains in effect until the Court of Appeal delivers judgment in her ongoing suit against the Senate.
“The matter remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate your resumption. You will be duly notified of the Senate decision on the matter as soon as it is resolved,” the letter stated. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer, Victor Giwa, said the senator had already begun preparing to rejoin her colleagues after serving the penalty.
The Kogi Central lawmaker was suspended in March following a report from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which accused her of insubordination for refusing to vacate her assigned seat during plenary. The suspension stripped her of salary, aides, and office privileges. Akpoti-Uduaghan has maintained that the action was politically motivated, linking it to a petition she filed alleging sexual harassment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a claim dismissed by the Senate.
The PDP accused Senate leadership of acting in bad faith and attempting to stifle opposition voices, describing the renewed action as part of a “creeping totalitarianism” under the APC-led federal government. The party called on the international community, rights groups, and democratic institutions to intervene.
Legal experts support Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan return
Accoridng to Punch, Senior Advocates of Nigeria argued that the Senate’s refusal to allow her return was unconstitutional and overreaching. Adedayo Adedeji (SAN) emphasized that Akpoti-Uduaghan had completed her six-month suspension, making her resumption both lawful and necessary to preserve the Senate’s dignity and the constitutional rights of her constituents.
Wale Balogun (SAN) likened her situation to a prisoner who has served a sentence: while a legal dispute may continue, the completion of the penalty entitles the individual to resume normal duties. Other legal experts, including Paul Obi and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, described the Senate’s action as unjustifiable and excessive, highlighting that withholding representation from Kogi Central voters undermines constitutional democracy.
