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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the continued obstruction of Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial zone, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the National Assembly from resuming at the Senate, after her six months suspension as an affront on democratic values.
The party, in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the Senate leadership of defying both legal precedent and moral responsibility by attempting to stall Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption.
But Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, in defence of the chamber, insisted that legislative business is governed by the standing orders and not by sentiment.
Insisting that stalling the senator’s resumption, ADC said the action of the Senate leadership was a reflection of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government alleged moves to silence the opposition.
It said: “It is important to recall that the suspension of Senator Natasha was imposed by the Senate, not by a court of law. And whether one agrees with the basis for that decision or not, the tenure of that disciplinary action has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible.
“This is not about partisan politics. It is about a dangerous precedent being set within our legislative institutions, one that reduces democratic representation to the whims of a few individuals rather than the will of the electorate. It is about a political culture that appears more invested in punishing dissent than in upholding justice.
“Let it be clearly stated, the people of her constituency elected Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to speak on their behalf. Denying her access to the chamber is, by extension, denying her constituents the right to be heard.
“It is especially troubling that during the course of her suspension, Senator Natasha was denied her salaries, legislative aides, and access to her office. These are not privileges, but instruments of public service. To strip an elected senator of these tools is not discipline, it is institutional mugging,” the party stated.
Furthermore, the opposition party challenged “the Senate President and his colleagues to explain why a suspension that has run its course should be made indefinite by stealth.
“Several respected Senior Advocates of Nigeria have rightly observed that Senator Natasha’s suspension, having fully lapsed, can no longer be used as a justification to deny her return.
“A pending legal appeal does not suspend constitutional rights, nor does it grant any official the power to override the mandate of the electorate. To continue barring her from office is therefore a violation of the constitution. The Senate, as the nation’s highest law making body, must not be seen to violate the very laws it exists to uphold.
“We also note with concern the Clerk of the National Assembly’s refusal to process her resumption on the grounds that the matter is sub judice. While the Clerk may claim administrative caution, what is being projected is administrative complicity. His role is not to adjudicate but to facilitate. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished.”
The ADC added that “the broader implications of the Senate’s treatment of one of its very females for the cause of women’s political participation generally. Senator Natasha is one of only four women in a Senate of 109 members. Nigeria’s paltry female representation of 2.7 % is already among the worst records of women political participation even in Africa.
“Any action that resembles gendered intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women participation and make Nigeria appear even worse in the eyes of the world.
“Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while marginalizing half of its population from its most critical spaces of decision-making.
The soul of democracy lies in its capacity to accommodate dissent, protect the minority voice, and uphold the rule of law, no matter how inconvenient. What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself.”