By Ismaeel Aleem
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Nigerian Senate to immediately reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, following the expiration of her six-month suspension.
The call comes amid growing controversy over the Senate’s refusal to allow her to resume legislative duties, citing a pending Court of Appeal case.
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Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March 2025 after a heated exchange with Akpabio over a seating arrangement in the Senate chamber.
She challenged the suspension at the Federal High Court but was denied reinstatement by the National Assembly on 4 September 2025, despite her claim that the suspension had lapsed.
The Senate’s Acting Clerk, Yahaya Danzaria, maintained that the matter remains sub judice, preventing any administrative action until the court delivers its ruling.
SERAP criticised the Senate’s position, insisting that no Nigerian law justifies barring Akpoti-Uduaghan from performing her duties while awaiting a court decision.
The organisation described the continued suspension as a “travesty of justice” and a violation of the rule of law, urging the Senate to act on her letter notifying the Clerk of her intent to resume on 4 September.
It also demanded that the Senate pay Akpoti-Uduaghan’s withheld salaries and allowances.
SERAP stressed that the senator’s suspension stemmed from her exercise of freedom of expression, a right guaranteed under the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory.
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“No one should be punished for ‘speaking without permission,’” SERAP stated, noting that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s role as a senator does not strip her of fundamental human rights.
