Olu Allen
Six months after the Nigerian Senate suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on 6 March 2025, for alleged insubordination, the expiration of that punishment has become a test of Nigeria’s constitutional integrity.
Despite the lapse of the mandated period, the Senate now denies her return, citing a pending appeal as justification. That reasoning is not only absurd; it is a dangerous affront to Nigeria’s democratic order.
The hypocrisy of selective judicial respect
The Senate’s contradictory posture exposes its bad faith. When the Federal High Court entertained Natasha’s challenge against her suspension, the Senate ignored judicial processes and enforced its decision.
Yet today, the same body suddenly invokes a “pending appeal” as a shield, not out of respect for the judiciary, but as a convenient decoy to elongate her punishment.
Legal experts have been clear. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) argued that the Senate is “overreaching itself with this position,” noting that “failure to allow her to resume is indirectly extending the suspension beyond six months, without a valid resolution.”
Paul Obi (SAN) called the move “wrong, unjustifiable, and an overkill.” Their opinions underscore the constitutional violation at play.
Representation Denied: Silencing Kogi Central
At its core, this matter disenfranchises the people of Kogi Central, whose democratic mandate Natasha carries.
Their representation has been silenced for six months, and now, possibly longer.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) rightly noted that “denying her access to the chamber is, by extension, denying her constituents the right to be heard.”
Adedayo Adedeji (SAN) frames this as more than an internal discipline issue.
He points to Sections 68 and 1(3) of the Constitution, which safeguard representation and prevent legislative overreach.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court also warned that “a six-month suspension, half a legislative year, undermines constitutional representation.”
A legislative body that undermines representation undermines democracy itself.
The gender dimension in an already unbalanced senate
The suspension carries another troubling dimension: gender. With only four women in the 109-member Senate (a paltry 2.7% representation), Nigeria already has one of Africa’s worst records for women in politics.
Targeting one of these few women, especially one who has accused Senate leadership of harassment, sends a chilling signal to women aspiring to leadership.
The ADC captured this fear, warning that “any action that resembles gendered intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation and make Nigeria appear even worse in the eyes of the world.”
In a country where women make up half the population, their exclusion from decision-making spaces delegitimizes democracy itself.
Broader democratic implications
This is no longer about Natasha alone. It is about the Senate’s credibility, the health of Nigeria’s democracy, and the sanctity of the Constitution.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused the Senate leadership of “a calculated attempt by the APC-led Senate to stifle opposition voices and deprive the people of Kogi Central of representation.”
The timing is ironic. President Tinubu, in his Democracy Day address, reaffirmed his “unwavering resolve to safeguard the country’s multiparty system.”
Yet the Senate, under APC leadership, seems intent on shrinking that very system by silencing dissenting voices.
How can Nigerians trust the National Assembly to lead constitutional reform on judicial independence, electoral reform, or gender inclusion, when it violates basic democratic principles within its own chamber?
The Senate’s conduct also feeds into the cynicism that Nigerians already feel about governance. Institutions appear captured, rules are bent to suit those in power, and ordinary citizens are left with the impression that democracy is little more than a stage-managed game.
A call to courage
This is a moment that demands more than quiet disapproval.
PDP senators, female lawmakers, civil society organizations, and international observers must speak with clarity. Silence is complicity.
Posterity will remember whether they defended constitutionalism or folded in the face of political convenience.
The way forward is clear. The Senate must immediately reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, respect constitutional provisions on representation, and establish guidelines that prevent abuse of disciplinary powers.
Going further, the National Assembly should prioritize amendments that close loopholes for institutional overreach.
This episode is not a mere political squabble, it is a referendum on whether Nigeria’s democracy can survive the whims of those who wield power.
If a senator can be suspended indefinitely through procedural games, then no citizen is safe from arbitrary punishment.
Democracy thrives when institutions act with restraint, when leaders rise above vindictiveness, and when the Constitution, not personal grudges, guides decisions. The Senate must choose wisely.
It has one duty in this matter: allow Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to resume her seat without further delay. Anything less is sabotage of democracy.
And history is watching.
Allen is a writer and educator based in Kano who writes on public affairs and promotes good governance.
