NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION URGES SENATE TO REINSTATE SUSPENDED SENATOR AKPOTI-UDUAGHAN

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the Senate to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, to resume her legislative duties immediately, following the expiration of her six-month suspension. NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, stressed that the Senate’s refusal to reinstate her is “legally untenable and constitutionally unfair to her constituents”.

“The suspension was expressly for six months. Challenging the correctness of that decision in court is a completely different matter from whether the suspension has run its course. The period has expired, and that alone should guarantee her return,” Osigwe stated. He faulted the Senate’s reliance on a pending appeal as justification for barring her return, saying “The Senate cannot use the existence of a pending appeal as a tool to prolong a suspension that has already lapsed”.

Osigwe emphasized that constituents of Kogi Central “cannot be denied their right to representation any longer”, describing the acting Clerk’s position as a “grave misinterpretation of the law”. “The correct position is that once a suspension period lapses, the lawmaker must resume,” he added.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, for breaching chamber rules, losing salaries and entitlements. The NBA President urges the Senate to respect democratic principles and allow her return. “The honour of the Senate lies in respecting the limits of its authority. To deny her resumption after the expiration of her suspension period is to deny her constituents a voice in the Senate,” Osigwe concluded.