Public policy advocate and former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili has sharply criticised the Nigerian Senate over its decision to prolong indefinitely the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.
In a strongly worded memo issued in Abuja, Ezekwesili said the move represented “an unprecedented assault” on constitutional principles and judicial authority, noting that a Federal High Court had already ruled the initial six-month suspension unlawful.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 after accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment — an allegation the Senate has not formally investigated. Instead, Ezekwesili argued, the chamber has “turned its machinery against the victim.”
She pointed out that with the National Assembly sitting only 181 days a year, a six-month exclusion effectively strips constituents of their right to representation. She also highlighted that Senate rules permit suspensions of no longer than 14 days.
Citing past court rulings that declared lengthy suspensions unconstitutional, Ezekwesili accused the legislature of acting with impunity, emboldened by what she described as judicial inconsistency.
She urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council to intervene swiftly, warning that the judiciary’s credibility depended on a timely resolution.
“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.
