Senate suspends Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months

• Says suspension will be lifted upon tendering of written apology to the Senate

• Orders withdrawal of her security aides, sealing of office

• This injustice cannot stand – Sen Akpoti-Uduaghan

From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

The Senate has placed Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) on a six-month suspension without salaries or allowances for total violation of the Senate Standing Rules 2023, as amended, and for bringing the presiding officer and the entire Senate in general into public opprobrium.

The suspension from all legislative activities is effective from 6 March 2025. She is to submit all Senate properties in her possession to the Clerk of the National Assembly and must not, including her staff, be seen within the vicinity of the National Assembly.

She was also barred from presenting herself as a member of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria throughout the period of her suspension, both locally and internationally, while relevant security agencies were notified to withdraw her security details. However, following an amendment by Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia South), her aides were exempted from the suspension of salaries and other entitlements.

The sergeant-at-arms was accordingly directed to seal off her office within the National Assembly for the duration of the suspension. Offering an olive branch, the lawmakers added that the decisions would be reversed or reduced if she tenders a written apology to the Senate.

This followed the consideration and adoption of the recommendations of the Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions on a petition by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Sen. Adeyemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South), regarding the incident of “alleged disorder caused by Distinguished Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan over reallocation of her seat in the Senate Chamber” in plenary yesterday. The petition was referred to the Committee by the presiding officer, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday during plenary on 25 February, when Sen. Adaramodu, standing on Order 1(b), drew the attention of the Senate to the effect of the outbursts by Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan over the change of her seat.

Chairman of the Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions Committee, Sen. Neda Imasuen (Edo South), while presenting the report, explained that the committee relied on witness accounts by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Business and Rules, Sen. Titus Zam; Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms (Senate Chambers), Muktar Daudawa; and Brig. Gen. Etido Ekpo, Sergeant-at-Arms, to verify claims made by Senate Spokesman, Adaramodu. He noted that the respondent, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan, did not respond to the committee’s invitation to appear before it to defend herself, despite the notice placed on the Order Paper and another announcement made during plenary earlier in the day.

Sen. Imasuen said the committee found that the senator violated Order 6 (1) and (2) of the Senate Standing Orders 2023, as amended, by vehemently refusing to relocate to her newly allocated seat and insisting on raising a point of order from a seat not allocated to her, thereby “causing commotion and disruption of the Senate proceedings violating Order 66(2) of the Senate Standing Orders by refusing to leave the chamber when ordered to do so by the presiding officer.”

The second finding was that “her behaviour on the 20th of February 2025 was unethical and unbecoming of a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by refusing to uphold the moral sanctity of the Senate and the hallowed chamber.” Thirdly, “her refusal to appear before the committee to explain herself despite being served with the notice of the hearing published in the Senate Order Paper and read out to the Senate indicating time and place of the committee meeting was disdain and disrespectful to the committee and the Senate as a whole.”

Lastly, the panel found that her allegations that the Senate President is frustrating her legislative functions by not allowing her motions and bills to be considered in the chamber are frivolous because the President of the Senate approved her motion on the investigation of alleged corruption and inefficiency at Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and National Iron Mining Company (NIOMCO) for consideration, and it was considered accordingly; and equally, she had sponsored three bills that are at various stages of legislative processes.

On her sexual harassment petition, which was referred yesterday, the committee stated that based on Order 40 (4) of the Senate Standing Orders 2024, which states that no senator may present a petition signed by him or herself, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan “ran contrary to this order as she signed her own petition. Similarly, she contravened Order 40 (7), which states that the ‘Senate should not receive or deliberate on any matter to which actions are pending in any court of law,’ as she has the same matter in court.”

Also noted was the interim order sought by the Kogi lawmaker to prevent the Senate and its Committee from exercising its constitutional duties, as enshrined in section 88 (1) of the Constitution, and another petition sent the same day to the Senate on sexual harassment. The senators noted, “The distinguished senator cannot on the one hand seek to prevent the Senate from doing its duties in a petition based on action brought against her and on the other hand insist that her petition on sexual harassment to the Senate be acted upon through the ethics committee.”

When he concluded reading the report, the Senate President gave leave to other lawmakers to contribute to the report. At this point, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan turned on her microphone and said, “Mr President, can I say something?” but was ignored.

Akpabio then recognised Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South), who commended the committee for “a job well done,” to speak. He emphasised that the rules of the Senate must be upheld by every senator, “no matter how highly placed.” “If we can’t make rules for ourselves and obey those rules, then we’ll have issues with the public,” he stressed.

His position was supported by the Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Tahir Mongunu (Borno North), who argued that “it is only Kingdom of animals that there are no rules to regulate behaviour.” He advised the suspended lawmaker “at her leisure time, study our rules very well so that their behaviour and conduct will be guided.”

On his part, Sen. Asuquo Ekpeyong (Cross River South) condemned her behaviour on the fateful day, adding that “the shouting and screaming in front of an audience, even with school children seated in the gallery” in “flagrant disregard or maybe misunderstanding of the Senate rules” was unacceptable.

In his submission, the leader of the Kogi State Senators caucus and chairman of the Senate Committee on Services, Sen. Karimi Sunday (Kogi West), apologised to the Senate President for his “sister’s behaviour.”

He punctured arguments that he was discriminating against her, noting that the Senate President had been reluctant to give a Senate Committee leadership position to Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan because she was “a rookie” and his conscience would not be clear because there were more ranking senators to occupy it.

However, he continued, following continuous pressure by him and the lawmaker’s husband, Mr Uduaghan, who is also a friend of Akpabio, he began to listen to their pleas. “You were reluctant giving her a leadership position because she is a rookie and there were other people senior to here,” he said, adding that the resistance was brought down when he demanded that the slot for the chairmanship was reserved for a Kogi lawmaker and should be given to her as a replacement. He also lamented that the lawmaker insulted his mother during the 20 February episode.

Minority Leader, Sen. Abba Moro (Benue South), in his contribution, said that though he aligns with the findings of the report, he would appeal for a reduction in the suspension period to three months. When put to a vote, the appeal was rejected.

Contributing to the consideration of the report, the House Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), urged the public not to see the suspension as a gender, party, or state matter. He noted that the Kogi caucus leader supported the suspension, which was recommended by a committee headed by a member of the Labour Party, while Sen. Ireti Kingibe (Federal Capital Territory), also a woman, appended her signature to the report as a show of approval. This, he stated, is to show that “it is a collective desire of the distinguished institution called the Senate to ensure that sanity is restored.”

After contributions from more lawmakers, the recommendations, as amended, were put to a vote and adopted. Immediately the final resolution was adopted, Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan again turned on her microphone and vowed to continue her “fight for justice.” “This injustice will not be sustained. The pursuit for justice continues,” she shouted as the sergeant-at-arms turned off her microphone and walked her out of the chamber to her car.

On the same Thursday, the Senate cautioned Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan against consistent violations of Senate Standing Orders by refusing to stand up and remain silent when the Senate President walked into the chamber. Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Tahir Mongunu (Borno North), raising a point of order under Order 55 (1), said, “With the indulgence of the Senate President and my colleagues, I will proceed to read Order 55, Rule 1. ‘At the entry of the presiding officer, all senators, officials, members of the press, and those in the gallery shall stand still until the presiding officer has taken his seat.’

“Mr. President, distinguished senators, I want to report that Senator Natasha has been consistently and persistently in breach of this rule because as the Senate President and the leadership are entering, she doesn’t observe that rule by standing up until the President of the Senate is seated after all the prayers and it was in the media. All the media yesterday reported that when the Senate President is entering, she didn’t observe that rule and today also, she didn’t observe that rule. I have to send one of the sergeant-at-arms to her, that her conduct is in breach of this rule. The sergeant-at-arms is here.

“She came and reported back to me that she’s not going to stand still in breach of this rule. Mr. President, distinguished senators, as I said earlier on, he who comes to equity must come with clean hands. If you are seeking refuge in one arm, under Order 10 always, seeking refuge under Order 10 of this rule, then you must, for all intent and purposes, observe these rules, you cannot be approbating and reprobating at the same time. So I’m craving the indulgence of Senator Natasha to please observe our rules strictly in compliance, but not in breach. I’m doing that in order to discharge the functions of my office to ensure that our rules are strictly complied with.

“I also crave the indulgence of Senator Natasha to, at her leisure time, study these rules very well so that she will be conversant with the rules of the Senate. If she stands up for the President of the Senate, she is not standing up for the President of the Senate personally, but it is the institution that she is respecting, and the office of the Senate President.”