Senate Suspends Senator Natasha for Six Months

By: Olufemi Orunsola

The Senate has suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months amid the sexual harassment allegation she made against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News gathered that the suspension, was announced during the plenary on Thursday, came after a recommendation from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.

As part of the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s salary and security details would be withdrawn, and she would be barred from accessing the National Assembly premises.

Her office would also be locked, and her legislative aides would not receive their salaries during this period. The Senate further ruled out reconsidering her suspension until the six-month term ends or she submits a formal apology.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension follows a heated confrontation in the Senate, where she protested the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio. She arrived at a plenary session to find her nameplate removed and her seat reassigned, which she argued was an attempt to silence her.

Her suspension was put to a vote after she was denied the opportunity to speak, with the majority siding with the Ethics Committee’s report.

Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro supported the committee’s recommendation, stating that her actions warranted disciplinary action.

He likened the move to “correcting a child,” referencing Nigerian cultural norms.

To appeal the suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan must submit a written apology to the Senate for allegedly violating its rules.

The Ethics Committee originally recommended a six-month suspension but later reduced it to three months after the Senate considered the plea of Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), who had requested a reduction.

A heated confrontation unfolded during a Senate plenary session two Thursdays ago when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan protested the reassignment of her seat by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The session took an unexpected turn as she arrived to find her seat reassigned, with her nameplate removed.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, raising her voice in protest, demanded an explanation for what she perceived as an unjustified move.

Following the incident, the matter was referred to the Ethics Committee over her actions during the plenary session.

Consequently, the Senate pushed the matter to the Senator Neda Imasuen-led Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions after the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, mandated the committee to conduct a holistic investigation and report back in two weeks.

The Senate’s resolution followed the consideration and adoption of a report presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), on news publications and reports regarding the incident.

In his presentation, Adaramodu informed the Senate that the uproar during the plenary session the previous Thursday—when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan openly challenged the Senate President over the reassignment of her seat—had severely damaged the Senate’s image.

Meanwhile, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Udughan, representing Kogi Central, has reacted to the six-month suspension slammed on her by the Senate.

She responded to the suspension before leaving the Chamber, saying, “This injustice will not be sustained.”

Her microphone was then immediately turned off as the sergeant-at-arms came to escort her out of the chambers. The Senate had earlier suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over alleged misconduct and violation of Senate Standing Rules.

The decision followed the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, which found her guilty of breaching legislative protocols. The committee’s report, presented by Neda Imasuen, chairman of the committee, during Thursday plenary, cited her protest over the reallocation of her seat in the chamber and her public statements as key reasons for the suspension.

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has described the six-month suspension slammed on the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, by the Senate as a “vicious abuse of power”.

Ezekwesili, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, said instead of probing the sexual harassment allegations levelled by Natasha against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the red chambers “decided to choose the ignoble path of vicious abuse of power and desecration of our public institution”.

Senator Natasha had in the wake of a seat dispute with Akpabio accused the lawmaker of sexual harassment. X@NatashaAkpoti

“When men because of little power fleetingly acquired start speaking like they are God, we all must remember what history reveals of their kind.

“Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. You have inspired a Generation. You have inspired all credible citizens. You will never walk alone,” she stated.

Natasha’s suspension took place ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025.

On February 20, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, rejected her assigned seat in the red chamber and challenged the Senate President’s order.

The female senator accused the senate president of harassment and slammed a N100bn alleged defamation suit against him while the Akpabio-led upper legislative chamber has referred her to the senate disciplinary committee.

On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions dismissed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment and abuse of office petition against the Senate President, declaring it “dead on arrival” based on procedural violations and legal constraints.

The committee explained that Akpoti-Uduaghan signed the petition herself rather than having it endorsed by another individual, thereby rendering it procedurally invalid.

Additionally, the committee noted that the matters raised in the petition were already before the court, making them sub judice and beyond the Senate’s jurisdiction. But the female senator re-submitted the petition on Thursday.

Earlier, Akpabio denied the sexual harassment allegations against him by the Kogi lawmaker.

In July 2024, Akpabio apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan over his nightclub comment against the female lawmaker.