Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, has criticised the Nigerian Senate for suspending Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement, Falana emphasised that the practice of suspending legislators based on the whims of the leadership in both federal and state legislative houses should not persist in Nigeria. He pointed out that the judiciary has a track record of reinstating lawmakers who have been suspended by either the National Assembly or state legislatures.
Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), referenced court rulings, including those from the Court of Appeal, indicating that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension could potentially be overturned. He called for the immediate repeal of what he termed an “illegal suspension,” highlighting a restraining order issued by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He also mentioned various legal precedents dating back to 2010, which include the suspension of Dino Melaye and ten other lawmakers from the House of Representatives.
“In 2018, our law firm equally handled the case of Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin, a member of the House of Representatives who was suspended for 180 days for accusing the Yakubu Dogara-led House of padding the 2016 national budget,” the statement reads.
“The Federal High Court nullified the suspension and ordered the payment of the withheld salaries and allowances of the legislator.
“In March 2024, the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate suspended Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP; Bauchi) for three months for alleging that Nigeria’s 2024 budget was padded.
“The Senator instructed our law firm to challenge the suspension in the Federal High Court. We wrote to the leadership of the Senate to review the suspension in view of the illegality of the action.
“As we were preparing to challenge the suspension in the Federal High Court, the Senate recalled Senator Ningi and paid his withheld salaries and allowances.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central in the Senate, was suspended for six months on March 6 following a contentious exchange with Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a session on February 20. During the debate, she protested the reassignment of her seat, viewing it as an effort to silence her.
On February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of s3xual harassment. A week later, on March 5, a Federal High Court in Abuja issued an order prohibiting the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from continuing its disciplinary proceedings.
However, the Senate panel proceeded with its hearings and ultimately recommended a six-month suspension, stating that the duration could be reviewed if Akpoti-Uduaghan publicly apologised to the chamber. After considering the ethics committee’s report, the Senate formally suspended her for “gross misconduct” during plenary.
