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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Womanifesto, a coalition representing over 280 women’s rights organizations across Nigeria, has issued a powerful condemnation of the Nigerian Senate’s ongoing exclusion of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing it as a “constitutional assault, a democratic crisis, and a gendered injustice.”
The senator for Kogi Central was suspended on March 6, 2025, for six months following accusations of insubordination related to a dispute over her Senate seat. However, the Federal High Court, under Justice Binta Nyako, declared the suspension “excessive” and unconstitutional. By September 9, 2025, the official date set for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return, she had fully served the six-month suspension yet was still denied access by the Senate leadership and National Assembly management.
Reacting to the ongoing refusal to reinstate her, Womanifesto convener Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi said: “When lawmakers become lawbreakers, democracy itself is imperiled. This is not merely about one woman; it is about depriving an entire constituency of representation for over six months. The Senate arrogating to itself powers the Constitution does not grant, and openly mocking the judiciary’s authority, is a dangerous attack on our democracy.” She added, “Those entrusted with public power are weaponizing the law to silence dissent and protect entrenched privilege.”
The coalition also highlighted the gendered dimension of the exclusion. Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi pointedly stated, “This is a deliberate attack on women’s political participation. Denying Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan her constitutional mandate after a lawful election and favorable court ruling sends a chilling message to all Nigerian women: your voice can be silenced at will.”
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Womanifesto called on the Senate to “immediately and unconditionally reinstate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan in full compliance with the court order.” The group further warned that Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s alleged abuse of legislative power is “a direct assault on Nigeria’s fragile democratic foundations and the rights of half its population, women.”
The coalition implored citizens, civil society, the media, and the international community to see beyond what it called a “personal quarrel.” “This is a collective test of whether Nigerians will allow democracy to die in the hands of those sworn to protect it. Democracy dies when elected voices are silenced, when women are excluded, when courts are mocked, and when the Constitution is treated as optional,” it said.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal team and supporters have maintained that her suspension was politically motivated following her petition against alleged sexual harassment by the Senate President, which was dismissed by the chamber. Despite court rulings siding with her, the Senate’s refusal to allow her return has sparked criticism from political parties, civil rights organizations, and women’s groups nationwide.
“This is a defining moment. Either the Senate restores Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat, or it confirms itself as an institution willing to destroy democracy for impunity,” Womanifesto concluded.
