Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been suspended for six months after allegedly violating the Senate’s standing rules.
On March 6, the Senate voted to suspend Natasha Akpotiugan for six months, following the recommendations of its ethics, privileges and public petition committees.
The decision was based on her alleged misconduct during the February 20 plenary session and her refusal to comply with the Chamber of Commerce sitting arrangement.
The Senate also imposed several penalties, including the withdrawal of all her security aides and the closure of her office in the Legislature.
All of the Senate property she owned was to be handed over to the Secretary of the Parliament. She was also prohibited from entering Parliament during the suspension period.
Her pay and allowances were also suspended, just as she was banned from presenting herself as a senator locally and internationally.
However, if Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan submitted a written apology, the Senate left a window to lift the suspension.
However, she refused to retreat. On March 11, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker took her case with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
While working on a global organization, she described her suspension as illegal and tried to silence her for allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson has pledged to investigate the issue. However, IPU’s Nigerian representative Kafilat Ogbara quickly countered Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, explaining that her suspension was due to a violation of Senate rules.
The controversy deepened when the Nigerian government began investigating how Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan attended IPU meetings without official nomination.
The senior administrative officials involved in the investigation and two senior officials told Premium Times that the National Security Agency (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are working to determine how Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan attended international conferences without approval, promoted travel and accreditation, and whether interest groups participated in the participation of Nigeria, its people and its people.
Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of three senators in Kogi Province and represents Kogi Central of the Senate.
People at Kogi Central speak
The Premium Times was in the Kogi Central Senators’ District, which has not been represented by the Senate for six months, seeking people’s views on the senator suspension. The newspaper visited Okene and Ihima (Akpoti-uduaghan’s hometown) and spoke with members. The spoken residents were randomly selected.
Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan has been representing the district since November 2023, when APC was replaced by Abubakar Ohre, following the court’s ruling on a petition on a 2023 Senate election.
Since 1999, she has been the eighth Senator of five local government areas: Adavi, Ajaokuta, Okene, Ogori Magongo and Okehi. The former senators were Ahmed Tijani (1999-2003), Mohamed Ohiale (2003-2007), Othal Ohias (2007-2011), Nuruddin Abatemi Usman (2011-2015), Ahmed Ogembe (2015-2019), Oseni Yakub (2019-2023), and Mr. Ohare.
Food vendor Asmau Sanni
Mrs. Sanni frowned and explained that she was politically motivated by the decision to suspend Mrs. Akpoti-uduaghan.
“Why should they suspend our senators? She is the only person fighting for us and brings development to our place. This is injustice. This is politically motivated. She wants to shut her up because she is telling the truth.
Baba Abdulrazak, Chief of the People’s Association of Evira
Baba Abdulrazak, secretary general of the Evila People’s Association, argued that suspending senators for more than 14 days is illegal.
“At this important stage in our country, it is unfortunate that men and women have commissioned an institution as important as the Senate chose to drug the Senate and cause disgust.
“Senator Natasha is one of the biggest things that has happened to this Senator. She has represented us in ways no one has done. She has just spent 16 months in the Senate, and her impact can be felt in the length and width of this Senate district.
“I think some people who feel that the whole of Nigeria is in their pocket and declared the entire district suspended should be unthinkable. Are they not aware that they have no right to suspend the senator for more than 14 days? In this case, you will suspend the entire district.
Joseph Suleiman, Clergy
Similarly, Joseph Suleiman, Zone Pastor of the Reded Church of God’s Christian Church, described the suspension as “unjust and unfair” to the people of the district.
“It’s very unfair and unfair. It’s not just about Natasha, but about the people she represents. So is Kogi Central saying there will be no representatives for the next six months? That’s unfair to people,” he said.
Suleiman, commonly known as Pastor Manjoe, urged the federal government to intervene in order for existing court decisions to win.
“The federal government should win the Senate to comply with the rule of law, knowing that there are existing courts where the rules state that they cannot suspend lawmakers for more than 14 days if there is a reason for suspension.
“Why should we ourselves be suspended for six months? That’s unfair to the people of the Kogi Central Senators. And you don’t suspend the Senators, that’s unfair,” the clergyman said.
Yemi Kumodu, Trader
In Ihima, Emi Kumodu, the hometown of trader Akpoch Uduahhan, described the senator’s ordeal as “very sad.”
“I feel very sad. Women in this community know that we went through before Natasha was elected. We are not satisfied with the treatment they are giving her in Parliament. Women should not be treated that way. Women here are not satisfied with the suspension.
“If something happens, they’re supposed to call both and ask what happened so that it’s not just a stopping our senator, but a fair solution. That’s not good. When two elephants fight, it’s grass, it’s grass.
Christiana Obia, Christian Women’s Member in Politics
Christian Women in Politics Christian Women Christian Obia said her group prays for the Overfe problem.
“We are not satisfied with that. We have told God that a Christian woman member of politics would hold a meeting and fight for Senator Natasha.
Muhammadsaka, president of Ebira Youth Congress
Mohammed Saka, president of the Evira Youth Congress, said youth in the Senate district cannot afford to move forward without representative for six months.
“We can’t afford to lose our voice in the Senate for six months. She’s progressing well, giving students scholarships. We’re taking in events from Parliament and responding to the right time,” he said.
Godwin Owibo, President of the Evira People’s Association
Similarly, Godwin Owibo, president of the Evila People’s Association, said the suspension would affect ongoing development projects in the Senate district.
“She’s our senator. We supported her and we voted for her, but the idea of suspending her from the Senate is something we don’t tolerate. It’s not just that they’re the individual senators they’re stopped. They’re the whole constituent and there’s so much activity going on.”
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Septure Jean Slaiman Salami
Sulaiman Salami, an older man from Okene, demanded fairness.
“This issue has brought us a huge surprise, and we say we need a fair hearing regardless of the circumstances. Senator Natasha filed an unsuspended petition, but they proceeded and stopped her for six months.
Salami claimed that Akpoti-Uduaghan was “stubborn” and said that all Eviras were “pretty stubborn.”
“Some people accused her of being stubborn. I’m an Evila man. Show me the Evila man who isn’t stubborn, because when we believe we’re right, we’ll stand up and insist on it,” he said.
He immediately called on the Senate to revive her.
“If the National Assembly wants to remain credible, the best thing to do is to remember her and have the committee deliberate on her claim. No one has crucified Akpabio, but there are heavy claims to be addressed.
“We don’t want a situation where we don’t have expression for six months, so we hope they will remember her soon.
The interview took place a few days before Nigeria News Agency (NAN) reported that some of the other residents of Kogi Central had begun a move to remind her of Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Abdullahi Usman, a resident of Ihima, told Nan he was willing to participate in the recall process, saying he had lost confidence in Mrs. Akpoch Udukhan’s expression.
“We can see a line of people who are unhappy with her parliamentary achievements, especially following the recent scandal with the Senate,” he said.
The Nigerian senator has never been recalled before, and the findings of the Premium Times on Earth show that Mrs. Akpoti-uduaghan enjoys ample support from her constituency to stem the recall process.
