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The National Assembly has blocked Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her duties, despite the expiration of her six-month suspension.
The decision, communicated in a letter from the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Yahaya Danzaria, states that the matter remains sub judice—under judicial consideration—as it is pending before the Court of Appeal.
Until the court process is completed and the Senate reviews the court’s pronouncement, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate her return, the clerk said.
Genesis of the Controversy
The suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has been fraught with controversy from the beginning. It stemmed from a dispute over a seating arrangement during a plenary session in February.
Following a public disagreement with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the senator was accused of misconduct. This incident led to a report by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, which recommended her six-month suspension.
However, a fresh controversy emerged when some senators alleged that the signatures on the committee’s report were for attendance and not for the endorsement of the suspension.
These lawmakers contended that their signatures were misused, further fueling concerns that the suspension was carried out without due process.
Legal Battles and Conflicting Rulings
The suspension has been the subject of a protracted legal battle. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had earlier obtained a court order to prevent the Ethics Committee from investigating her, which the Senate deemed an attempt to evade disciplinary action.
Her suspension was also widely condemned by legal experts as illegal, unconstitutional, and a violation of her rights. They argued that the Senate’s six-month suspension exceeded the 14-day limit stipulated in its own rules.
In a significant turn of events, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in July that the suspension was unconstitutional and excessive, ordering her immediate reinstatement.
The court found that suspending a lawmaker for six months, which is equivalent to nearly a full legislative session (181 sitting days), deprived her constituents of proper representation.
However, the ruling came with a caveat: the court also found the senator in contempt for a social media post that violated a previous gag order and fined her ₦5 million. She was also ordered to apologize to the Senate. Both the Senate and Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan appealed portions of the judgment, which is why the case is now before the Court of Appeal.
Broader Implications
The refusal to allow Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to return, even after the high court’s ruling and the end of her six-month suspension, highlights the ongoing power struggle between the judiciary and the legislature.
The Senate maintains that it must wait for the Court of Appeal’s verdict before taking any administrative steps.
This legal standoff leaves the Kogi Central senatorial district without representation and has sparked a wider debate about the use of suspensions as a disciplinary tool in the National Assembly. Critics argue that such actions can be politically motivated and are aimed at silencing dissenting voices.
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