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Ezekwesili Slams Senate Over Prolonged Suspension of Senator Natasha
Former Minister of Education and social accountability advocate, Oby Ezekwesili, has condemned the Nigerian Senate for what she described as an “unconstitutional overreach” in the continued suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
In a strongly worded memo addressed to the Senate, the Judiciary, and Nigerian citizens on Wednesday, Ezekwesili said the prolonged suspension of the lawmaker representing Kogi Central amounts to an assault on democracy and the rule of law.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, after she accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment. Six months later, her suspension remains in force following a September 4 letter from the Acting Clerk of the Senate, informing her that the suspension would continue indefinitely until ongoing court processes are concluded.
Ezekwesili described the Senate’s stance as “farcical” and “preposterous,” arguing that pending litigation cannot justify prolonging an already unconstitutional suspension.
“The Senate’s action represents nothing short of an existential threat to our constitutional democracy. Democracy dies when laws become weapons and lawmakers become serial lawbreakers,” she declared.
Citing a Federal High Court ruling delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, Ezekwesili noted that the court had already declared the suspension “excessive” and a violation of constitutional principles, as it denies the people of Kogi Central their right to representation for nearly an entire legislative session.
She stressed that the Senate’s action contradicts its own rules, which allow a maximum suspension of 14 days under Order 67(4). Legal precedents, she recalled, had also established that lengthy suspensions of elected lawmakers were “illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional.”
Beyond suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan had faced additional sanctions including withdrawal of her salaries, denial of access to her office, and being locked out of the National Assembly premises.
Ezekwesili accused the Senate of disregarding the principle of separation of powers by ignoring judicial restraints, warning that such defiance undermines Nigeria’s democratic order. She urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to act swiftly in addressing judicial inconsistencies and ensuring a speedy resolution of the matter.
“The fastest conclusion of the Akpoti-Uduaghan case is imperative for the courts to prove to Nigerians that they are not complicit in undermining the rule of law,” she said.
The memo underscores growing concerns among rights activists and legal experts over what they describe as increasing impunity within Nigeria’s political class.
