By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Nigerian Senate has suspended opposition Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over the violation of its extant rules.
Her suspension follows a recommendation by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct.
She was invited before the committee on Wednesday to respond to allegations of breaching the rules following her altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary over seat allocation.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker’s suspension is the culmination of weeks of claims and counterclaims between her, Akpabio, and the Senate, whom she accused of sexual harassment, an allegation the latter has denied.
Following an internal rearrangement in Nigeria’s Upper Legislative Chamber on 20 February, Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, was assigned a new seat. However, she initially refused to sit there, alleging that her rights had been violated. She described the new seat as a “backbencher” in an interview.
“That the Senate do suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for her total violation of the Senate Standing Rules (2023 as amended) for bringing the presiding officer and the entire Nigerian Senate to public opprobrium,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on Thursday while reading out the recommendations of the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct probing her claims.
Despite efforts by some senators to reduce the suspension period to three months, the Senate, in a majority vote, sustained the initial decision.
However, the lawmakers ruled that the suspension could be lifted or reduced if she tenders a written apology.
Following her suspension, the Kogi Central lawmaker was escorted out of the chamber by the Sergeant-at-Arms, but before she left, she declared that “this injustice would not be sustained.”
On Wednesday, she submitted a petition during plenary, but the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, headed by Neda Imasuen (Edo South), dismissed her claims. It declared her petition “dead on arrival” due to what it described as a breach of due process and legal limitations.
According to the committee, the senator personally signed the petition instead of obtaining someone else’s endorsement, thus rendering it “invalid.”
Hours later, Senator Natasha resubmitted her petition. However, on the same day, the Imasuen-led committee recommended her suspension for violating Senate rules, a move ratified by the Red Chamber.
In addition to her six-month suspension, it was recommended that her office be locked, she be barred from the National Assembly during the suspension, and her salary be withheld. However, the Senate rejected the recommendation to withhold the entitlements of her legislative aides.
