Akpoti-Uduaghan Vs Senate: Kogi Central constituents speak on ordeal of embattled lawmaker

On 6 March, the Senate voted to suspend Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months following the recommendations of its ethics, privileges and public petitions committee.

The decision was based on her alleged misconduct during a plenary session on 20 February and her refusal to adhere to the chamber’s sitting arrangement.

The Senate also imposed several penalties on her, including the withdrawal of all her security aides and the closure of her office in the National Assembly.

All Senate properties in her possession were to be handed over to the Clerk to the National Assembly. She was also prohibited from entering the National Assembly premises during the suspension period.

Her salary and allowances were also suspended, just as she was banned from presenting herself as a senator locally and internationally.

However, the Senate left a window for the suspension to be lifted if Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan submits a written apology, which the leadership may consider before the end of the six months.

But she has refused to back down. On 11 March, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker took her case to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

While addressing the global body, she described her suspension as unlawful and an attempt to silence her for making allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In response, the IPU President, Tulia Ackson, promised to investigate the matter. However, a Nigerian delegate at the IPU, Kafilat Ogbara, quickly countered Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, explaining that her suspension was due to violations of Senate rules.

The controversy deepened when the Nigerian government started investigating how Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the IPU meeting without an official nomination. 

A high-ranking administration official and two top security officials involved in the inquiry told PREMIUM TIMES that the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were working to determine how Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan attended the international meeting without approval, who facilitated her trip and accreditation, and whether interest groups orchestrated her participation to embarrass Nigeria, its government and its people.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of the three senators from Kogi State and represents Kogi Central in the Senate.

Kogi Central people speak

PREMIUM TIMES was in the Kogi Central Senatorial District to seek the people’s views on their senator’s suspension and not being represented in the Senate for six months. This newspaper visited Okene and Ihima (Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s hometown) to speak with the constituents. The residents spoken to were randomly selected.

Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan has represented the district since November 2023 when she replaced Abubakar Ohere of the APC, following a court judgement on her petition on the 2023 senatorial election.

Since 1999, she has been the eighth senator for the district comprising five local government areas: Adavi, Ajaokuta,Okene, Ogori Magongo, and Okehi. The former senators are Ahmed Tijani (1999-2003), Mohammed Ohiare (2003-2007), Otaru Ohize (2007-2011), Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman (2011-2015), Ahmed Ogembe (2015-2019) Oseni Yakubu (2019-2023) and Mr Ohere, who was in the upper chamber between June and November 2023.

Asmau Sanni, a food vendor

Mrs Sanni frowned at the decision to suspend Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing it as politically motivated.

“Why should they suspend our senator? She is the only one fighting for us, bringing development to our place. This is injustice. This is politically motivated. They want to silence her because she is speaking the truth. We will not accept this,” she said.

Baba Abdulrazaq, Secretary, Ebira Peoples Association

Baba Abdulrazaq, secretary-general of Ebira Peoples Association, argued that suspending the senator for more than 14 days was illegal.

“It is sad that at this critical stage in our nation, men and women entrusted with an institution as important as the Senate have chosen to drag the Senate to disrepute; it is unfortunate.

“Senator Natasha is one of the biggest things that has happened to this senatorial district. She has represented us the way no one has done. She has just spent 16 months in the Senate, but her impact is felt at the length and breadth of this senatorial district.

“It is an insult that some persons who felt the whole of Nigeria was in their pocket and pronounced an entire district suspended. I think that should be unthinkable. Are they not aware that they do not have the right to suspend a senator for more than 14 days, and in this case, you’re suspending an entire district? We will go anywhere to defend our rights as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Mr Abdulrazaq said.

Joseph Suleiman, Clergyman

Similarly, Joseph Suleiman, a zonal pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, described the suspension as “unjust and unfair” to the people of the district.

“It is very unfair and unjust. It is not just about Natasha but about the people she represents. So, you’re saying Kogi Central will not have representation in the next six months? That is unjust to the people,” he said.

Mr Suleiman, popularly known as Pastor Manjoe, urged the federal government to intervene so that existing court rulings would prevail.

“The federal government should prevail on the Senate to adhere to the rule of law because I know there are existing court cases where the rules state that you cannot suspend a lawmaker for more than 14 days if there’s any reason for the suspension.

“Why should our own be suspended for six good months? It is unfair to the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District. And you don’t suspend a performing senator, it is unfair,” the cleric said.

Yemi Kumodu, trader

In Ihima, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s hometown, Yemi Kumodu, a trader, described the senator’s ordeal as ‘very sad.’

“I feel very sad. The women in this community know what we passed through before Natasha was elected. We are not pleased with the treatment they’re giving her at the National Assembly. Women shouldn’t be treated that way. The women here are not pleased with the suspension.

“If anything happens, they’re supposed to call the both of them and ask what happened so that it would be a fair resolution, not just suspending our senator like that; it is not good. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that will suffer. We in the grassroots will suffer the suspension, so they should please recall our senator,” she said.

Christiana Ovia, member of Christian Women in Politics

Christiana Ovia, a member of the Christian Women in Politics, said her group was praying over the matter.

“We are not pleased with it. We, members of Christian Women in Politics, held a meeting and told God to fight for Senator Natasha. We knew her very well before we chose her to represent us, and we thank God that she didn’t disappoint us. She worked very hard, and she met our demands. We want to use this opportunity to warn Akpabio to leave our seat alone,” she said.

Muhammad Saka, President, Ebira Youth Congress

Muhammad Saka, president-general of the Ebira Youth Congress, said youth in the senatorial district could not afford to move on without representation for six months.

“We cannot afford to lose our voice in the Senate for six months. She has done well in development, giving scholarships to our students. We’re taking stock of events from the National Assembly, and we’ll respond at the appropriate time,” he said.

Godwin Owibo, President, Ebira Peoples Association

Similarly, Godwin Owibo, president-general of the Ebira Peoples Association, stated that the suspension would affect some ongoing development projects in the senatorial district.

“She is our senator; we supported her, and we voted for her, but the idea of suspending her from the Senate is something we will not tolerate. It is not only the individual senator they’re suspending; they’re the entire constituents, and there are so many activities going on.”

Sulaiman Salami, a septuagenarian

A senior citizen in Okene, Sulaiman Salami, demanded fairness.

“The issue has brought a huge surprise to us, and we have said that irrespective of the situation, we need a fair hearing. Senator Natasha submitted a petition that was not suspended, yet they went ahead and suspended her for six months, which means that the whole area here will not have any representation. It is unacceptable to us,” he said.

Mr Salami dismissed claims that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan was “stubborn,” stating that every Ebira person is “reasonably stubborn.”

“Some people accused her of being stubborn. I am an Ebira man. Show me an Ebira man who is not stubborn. We are reasonably stubborn because when we believe we’re on our right, we stand on our feet and insist,” he said.

He called on the Senate to reinstate her immediately.

“If the National Assembly wants to retain credibility, the best is to recall her and let the committee deliberate on her allegations. Nobody is crucifying Akpabio, but there are heavy allegations that should be addressed.

“I hope they’ll quickly recall her because we don’t want a situation whereby we won’t have representation for six months. This lawlessness from the National Assembly angers us.”

The interviews were held a few days before the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that some other residents of Kogi Central had commenced moves to recall Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan, an indication that not all residents of the constituency support the senator.

Abdullahi Usman, a resident of Ihima, told NAN that he joined the recall process willingly, saying they had lost confidence in Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s representation.

“You can see the queue of people dissatisfied with her National Assembly performance, especially following the recent scandal in the Senate chamber,” he said.

No Nigerian senator has ever been successfully recalled and PREMIUM TIMES findings on the ground show that Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan enjoys enough support from her constituency to stave off the recall process.