A coalition of more than 1,000 women’s civil society organizations, the Coalition of Concerned Women for Legislative Integrity (CCWLI), has called on the Nigerian Senate to promptly appeal the Federal High Court’s decision to reinstate Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Friday’s ruling was deemed “deeply troubling” and “a potential threat to the sanctity of parliamentary discipline and democratic integrity,” according to a statement released by the coalition in Abuja today.
Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Red Chamber leadership were urged by the coalition’s national president, Barr Nana Amina Abdullahi, to uphold the legislature’s independence and “not let populist sentiment or outside pressure override the duty of enforcing accountability within the chamber.”
The six-month suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate was deemed disproportionate and unfounded by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The senator from Kogi Central was ordered to return immediately, stating that the Senate lacked the authority to impose a suspension that would essentially silence a constituency.
However, the women’s organization issued a warning, stating that if the ruling is not overturned, it may “open the floodgates of indiscipline, misinformation, and abuse of legislative privilege” in Nigeria’s legislature.
The organization stated that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension followed her complete disrespect for the red chamber’s leadership and senate conventions.
We’re female. Our mothers are us. However, recklessness masquerading as bravery is not invisible to us. When elected to the sacred chamber, a woman must honor the position and not use it to further personal grudges or disparage her state without doing her research, Abdullahi stated.
The six-month suspension was characterized by the coalition as “a proportionate response to the gravity of Natasha’s conduct” and their insistence that the Senate acted within its disciplinary authority.
The organization denied Justice Nyako’s claim that the suspension violated the rights of people in Kogi Central.
“Kogi Central’s representative was suspended, not the locals. The statement said, “They also deserve better than a lawmaker whose interventions frequently turn into provocation rather than policy.”
Abdullahi charged that certain global organizations and regional activists were “weaponizing feminism” in order to undermine institutional norms and cover up inappropriate behavior.
“Improvement of indiscipline is not feminist. Women are not empowered when they support the misuse of parliamentary immunity. There would have been no discussion about the penalties if a male senator had made such claims without supporting evidence. “This selective indignation is dangerous and hypocritical,” she declared.
Although the coalition recognized the court’s function in resolving conflicts, they maintained that judicial restraint was required when it came to internal legislative discipline.
The long-term viability of Nigeria’s democracy, they argued, rests on clarity regarding the boundaries of judicial interference in legislative procedures, and they urged the Senate to appeal the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court.
Any attempt to back down at this point would be tantamount to ceding the Senate’s constitutional power to punish its members. In order to preserve the Natasha case’s institutional dignity as well as its legality, we are urging the Senate to promptly submit an appeal.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was also criticized by the group for what it called “a pattern of political exhibitionism,” claiming that she uses every disciplinary matter as a gendered media spectacle.
“Natasha has used provocation and confrontation throughout her whole political career. “Government is not performance art,” Abdullahi stated, despite the fact that it could receive praise on social media.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was fined N5 million by the court for breaking its previous gag order. The coalition called this a “mild but symbolic rebuke” and asked the senator to be more circumspect in her public behavior.
We wish her a peaceful payment of that fine and some time to think. According to the group, democracy is not a theater for nonstop drama.
In an official letter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, the coalition stated it would copy all presiding officers and request a prompt action to file an appeal.
“We maintain our stance that the Senate must uphold its ruling unless a higher court declares otherwise. The last word shouldn’t be that ruling,” Abdullahi said.
