Senator Natasha Uduaghan Defies Senate Leadership in Constitutional. A dramatic confrontation unfolded at Nigeria’s National Assembly as suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) clashed with Senate President Godswill Akpabio in a high-stakes battle over judicial authority, legislative independence, and constitutional governance.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan arrived at the National Assembly complex on Tuesday, July 22, armed with a Federal High Court judgment that overturned her controversial suspension. Justice Binta Nyako had ruled her removal “excessive” and unconstitutional, ordering the Senate to review its decision. However, in an extraordinary scene, security personnel physically barred the lawmaker from entering the chambers – an act she denounced as “a brazen subversion of judicial authority.”
Flanked by supporters including prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, Akpoti-Uduaghan staged an impromptu protest at the barricaded Senate entrance, where she delivered a scathing indictment of Akpabio’s leadership:
“This is no longer about Natasha versus Akpabio – this is about whether Nigeria respects its own judiciary. The Senate President has placed himself above the Constitution he swore to uphold. My mandate comes from Kogi voters, not from Akpabio’s whims.”
While quashing her suspension as unlawful, Justice Nyako simultaneously fined Akpoti-Uduaghan ₦5 million for contempt and ordered her to publish apologies – conditions she has publicly rejected as “unjust.”
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Spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu insists the suspension remains valid pending appeal, arguing “no court can dictate legislative proceedings.”
Legal experts, however, note this position risks triggering a constitutional crisis over the separation of powers.
The standoff exposes long-simmering tensions between the first-term senator and the Senate leadership. Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously accused Akpabio of sexual harassment during a 2023 committee hearing, claims the Senate President vehemently denied.
Her suspension originated from allegations of “unparliamentary conduct” after criticizing Senate procedures, which supporters argue was retaliation for her anti-corruption stance.
Undeterred by Tuesday’s blockade, the senator announced immediate plans to file fresh contempt proceedings against the Senate leadership. “We’re preparing for the long battle at the Appeal Court, Supreme Court, and the court of public opinion, “her legal team stated.
As civil society groups plan nationwide protests, Akpoti-Uduaghan remains resolute: “They think barricades will silence me? I represent 500,000 Kogi citizens. This fight will define whether Nigeria’s democracy works for the powerful or the people.”
The Presidency has remained conspicuously silent, while international observers begin monitoring what may become Nigeria’s most consequential separation of powers conflict in a decade.
This developing constitutional crisis spotlights Nigeria’s fragile balance between its democratic institutions, with one senator’s defiance now testing the very foundations of the rule of law.
3 Responses
Why is she apologizing?!
If the political impasse in Rivers State….
If the political impasse could be resolved, this will certainly a thing of the past when the PBAT decides to step in. It’s just all drama…