- My Suspension, Injustice That Will Not Be Sustained- Akpoti-Uduaghan
- Senate’s Action Vicious Abuse Of Power, Desecration Of Institutions – Ezekwesili
- Senate’s Disobedience To Court Order Untenable For Lawmakers -SAN
- Amid Natasha’s Crisis, Senate Mulls Removal Of Barriers To Gender Equality
An outrage has trailed the decision of the Senate to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
This is even as the Senate marked International Women’s Day on Thursday with a strong consensus to initiate legislation that would remove all barriers to the progress of women in the federation.
Trouble started in the Upper Chamber on February 20, 2025, when a seating agreement sparked a heated debate between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In the following days, the Kogi Central Senator accused the senate president of sexual harassment and abuse of office while also slamming a N100bn alleged defamation suit on Akpabio, allegations Akpabio has denied.
The Senate on the other hand referred Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Senate disciplinary committee.
However, things got to a head on Thursday, March 6, 2025, when the Senate wielded the big stick and suspended the Senator.
Her suspension followed a recommendation by the Senate disciplinary committee which submitted its report to the lawmakers during plenary session on Thursday.
According to the committee, the 45-year-old lawyer had breached the Senate’s rules and thus should be suspended for six months.
Despite calls by some lawmakers for Natasha’s suspension to be reduced to three months, the overwhelming majority of the Senate voted for otherwise.
Senator Akpabio who presided over plenary, however, read the resolutions of the lawmakers which said, the Senate would “consider lifting this suspension or reducing the tenure of the suspension” if Natasha later submits a “written apology to the Senate before her reconsideration by the Nigerian Senate”.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Court Stops Senate From Probing Natasha
The recommendations from the committee also included the stoppage of her salaries for the period and that of her aides. But that was ruled out following an appeal by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
“The aides of Natasha are not Natasha,” Senator Kalu said while calling for an amendment to the sanctions. “It would be wrong for this Senate to deprive these aides of their allowances.”
The decision of the Senate has been met with criticism and outrage from several quarters.
The woman in the eyes of the storm herself described her suspension from the Red Chambers as “an injustice that will not be sustained”.
“This injustice would not stand,” the Kogi Central Senator fumed, vowing to continue the “pursuit for justice”.
Similarly, a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has described the six-month suspension slammed on Akpoti-Uduaghan, by the Senate as a “vicious abuse of power”.
Ezekwesili, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, said instead of probing the sexual harassment allegations levelled by Natasha against Akpabio, the red chambers “decided to choose the ignoble path of vicious abuse of power and desecration of our public institution”.
“When men because of little power fleetingly acquired start speaking like they are God, we all must remember what history reveals of their kind.
“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. You have inspired a Generation. You have inspired all credible citizens. You will never walk alone,” she stated.
“Investigating the accusation of sexual harassment is all that sensible Nigerians have collectively asked the Senate to do, but no, they have decided to choose the ignoble path of vicious abuse of power and desecration of our Public Institution” she wrote.
READ ALSO: Natasha vs. Akpabio Showdown: Spouses Step In As Tension Boils Over
Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), West Idahosa, faulted the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan, by the Senate despite a court order restraining the red chambers from meting out any sanction to the lawmaker.
Idahosa, who represented Ovia South-West/Ovia North-East Federal Constituency from 1999 to 2007, said the disobedience to court orders under Senate President Godswill Akpabio was damaging.
“The most damaging is the blazing disobedience to court order. It is very untenable for a law-making body,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday hours after the upper legislative arm slammed a six-month suspension for violation of Senate rules.
Citing Section 4, Sub-Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, the senior advocate said the Senate was wrong to have suspended the female senator. “In the conduct of its legislative powers and duties, their conduct shall be subject to the judiciary,” he said.
Interpreting the Legislative Powers and Privileges Acts, he said most courts are of the view that the Senate and the House of Representatives can’t suspend a lawmaker for more than 14 days.
Idahosa said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker was not given a fair hearing and that her suspension was pre-determined by the senators.
He said, “A few days ago, a court order was served on the Senate of Nigeria and the committee in charge of ethics. They got the substituted order to serve on the Senate through the Clerk. This was done.
“In spite, you then sit down and rush a committee report and then the person who is accused and likely to suffer from the suspension order was not even present.
“There was no fairing in line with the provisions of the Constitution, Section 36; you disobeyed flagrantly a court order. and then you turn around to say the judiciary should improve when we are done by this behaviour undermining judicial institutions in this country.
“If I were the judge and the appropriate applications were made before me, I would go very far to make that point strong.”
Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing brouhaha, the Senate marked International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 6, 2025 with a strong consensus to initiate legislation that would remove all barriers to the progress of women in the federation.
The upper chamber, also, pledged to ensure a 35 percent affirmative action for women in the National Assembly and all governance processes consistent with the country’s National Gender Policy (NGP) and United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The President of the Senate, Akpabio made the promise yesterday at a three-day programme the upper chamber organised to commemorate the 2025 International Women’s Day held at the Old Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
The 2025 International Women’s Day, held under the theme, Economic and Political Inclusion: Walk the Talk, was commemorated to galvanise collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity in the country.
Attended by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jubrin; Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Minister for Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman -Ibrahim, the three-day programme was facilitated by Special Assistant to the Senate President on Public Hearing and Events, Ms. Munis Abisola and Director, Administration & Protocol, Office of the Senate Leader, Ms. Tabitha I. Sallah.
But addressing the vast gathering of women at the Old Senate Chamber yesterday, Akpabio said that the lawmakers would remove all obstacles to the socio-economic progress of women and gender equality in the federation.
Akpabio further explained: “We are discussing how women will have a solid stay not only in the National Assembly, but also in the country. We will do all we can to promote gender equality in this country even if it means to amend or tinker with the 1999 Constitution.
“Credible evidence has shown that women are better managers the world over. Sometimes, they can work harder than men. We must go back to where we have women in all spheres of life contributing to our collective progress and prosperity.
“We must, also, decisively condemn all issues of sexual harassment that are not founded. At the 10th National Assembly, we will promote legislation that will ensure 35% affirmative action in the country,” the president of the senate assured women at the commemoration.
Akpabio, therefore, highlighted how he promoted women’s cause when he served as the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State between 2007 and 2015, saying his records for women development were still evident.
