Last week, the Senate in a unanimous vote suspended for 6months, the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial district for misconduct. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was recently appointed Chairman of the Committee on NGOs and Diaspora. The Committee has the responsibility of “monitoring Diaspora Networks, NGOs and organizations with a view to assisting them in realization of their agenda and promote institutional change, providing advice and services to Diaspora communities on home remittances, participating in dialogue with governments, regional and local authorities on Diaspora matters in their home and host countries; promoting the exchange of ideas between home country and Nigerians in the Diaspora; and Annual Budget Estimates.”
The Senate had hinged her suspension on what it called “gross misconduct” and according to the Senate, Akpoti-Uduaghan had brought the Senate into disrepute by her utterances and actions regarding her reallocation to another seat.
In the incident which was seen across Television stations in the country, the Senator had refused to move to her new seat allocation and instead berated the Senate President with pointed fingers accusing him of inviting her to visit him later, during a guided tour of the senate’s President’s new country home last December 2024. She escalated her accusations on national television in an interview she gave the following day. It was later to emerge that the tour she referred to occurred in December 2023.
She also accused the Senate President of denying her of her privileges and entitlement and suppressing her motions and bills in the Senate. The Senate President has denied these allegations insisting that her allegations were false and arose from her visit to his country home 2 years earlier. According to the Senate President, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan chaired one of the most important committees of the Senate and had engaged in several other travels and official functions with him without any issues, after that visit to his country home.
Additionally, the Senate President has argued that the allegations are baseless and stem from her removal as Chairperson of the Local Content Committee, one of the Senate’s most powerful committees. Her appointment to this Grade A Committee had initially sparked controversy, with many senior senators questioning why a rookie lawmaker had been given such a prestigious role.
Public reactions to her suspension have been sharply divided. While the Senate insists that her suspension is strictly based on misconduct during the plenary session, many critics argue that the real issue – her allegations of sexual harassment have been ignored. The Senate’s decision to focus solely on her behavior regarding seat reallocation, rather than investigating the allegations against the Senate President, has fueled widespread backlash.
Notably, no Senator among the 109-member chamber has openly supported Akpoti-Uduaghan, reinforcing the Senate’s stance that her suspension is purely disciplinary. However, the broader implications of her suspension extend beyond personal consequences. Her six-month suspension translates to nearly a year of exclusion from legislative activities, as Senate sittings occur only on designated legislative days, making up approximately 180 days in a full calendar year.
The suspension also affects several stakeholders:
- Her Constituency: The people of Kogi Central who are temporarily left without representation in the Senate.
- The NGO and Diaspora Committee: The committee, which she recently began chairing, now faces uncertainty and stagnation.
- Her Staff: Although they may continue receiving salaries, they will remain largely inactive during the suspension period.
- Women’s Representation: With only four female senators, constituting a mere 3.67% of the Senate, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s absence further diminishes the already limited representation of women in Nigerian politics.
This situation underscores the urgent need for the Special Seats Bill ( Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution, to provide for seat reservation for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly (HB 1349) which seeks to increase female representation in the National Assembly. Without deliberate action, the already dismal number of women in governance will continue to decline.
It remains unclear how this saga will unfold. Historically, suspended lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have either challenged their suspensions in court or issued formal apologies to secure an early return. For now, Nigerians wait and watch.
(Click here for the report as presented by the Senate Committee)