The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the Senate to act in accordance with the rule of law by allowing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, to immediately resume her legislative duties following the expiration of her suspension.
NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, while addressing the press, stressed that the Senate’s continued refusal to reinstate the senator, despite the lapse of her six-month suspension, is legally untenable and constitutionally unfair to her constituents.
“First, the suspension was expressly for six months. Challenging the correctness of that decision in court is a completely different matter from whether the suspension has run its course. The period has expired, and that alone should guarantee her return,” Osigwe stated.
He further faulted the Senate’s reliance on the pending appeal at the Court of Appeal as justification for barring her from resuming. “The Senate cannot use the existence of a pending appeal as a tool to prolong a suspension that has already lapsed. That position undermines the principles of fair hearing, natural justice, and representative democracy. The constituents of Kogi Central cannot be denied their right to representation any longer,” he emphasised.
It would be recalled that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, after the Senate adopted the report of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which accused her of breaching chamber rules by refusing to vacate her designated seat during plenary.
The suspension deprived her of salaries, aides, and other office entitlements. Although she approached the Federal High Court to challenge the decision and later filed an appeal against Justice Binta Nyako’s ruling, Osigwe clarified that those legal processes cannot be used as a shield to extend her suspension indefinitely.
The acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, had in a September 4 letter informed the senator that her suspension would remain in force until the Court of Appeal determines her case.
Reacting to this, Osigwe described the Clerk’s position as a grave misinterpretation of the law. “The correct position is that once a suspension period lapses, the lawmaker must resume. The court may later decide whether the Senate was justified in suspending her in the first place, but until then, there is no legal or constitutional basis to keep her out of the chamber.”
Reports from other national dailies, including The Punch and Premium Times, corroborated Osigwe’s stand, with legal commentators noting that the Senate’s insistence raises serious constitutional questions about the limits of legislative disciplinary powers.
The NBA President therefore charged the Senate to uphold the sanctity of democratic principles by allowing Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to immediately return to her seat. “The honour of the Senate lies in respecting the limits of its authority. To deny her resumption after the expiration of her suspension period is to deny her constituents a voice in the Senate. That is not only unjust but sets a dangerous precedent for legislative governance in Nigeria,” Osigwe concluded.
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