The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a stern warning to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, threatening legal action if the Nigerian Senate fails to promptly reverse the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
SERAP describes the suspension, which has left the senator from Kogi Central unable to perform her legislative duties, as an egregious violation of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constitutional right to free speech.
In an open letter released on Sunday, March 8, 2025, the advocacy group expressed concern over the grounds for the senator’s six-month suspension, citing it as a politically motivated act aimed at punishing the senator for her outspoken views within the Senate.
According to SERAP, the suspension directly contravenes the senator’s internationally recognised rights, including her right to freedom of expression.
Recall that the controversy surrounding Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension stems from her contentious interaction with Senate President Akpabio, which reached a boiling point during a plenary session on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
The Senate, upon the recommendation of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, voted overwhelmingly to suspend Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, stripping her of her salary, allowances, and security details.
Senate President Akpabio, in reading the committee’s findings, accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of breaching the Senate Standing Rules by “bringing the presiding officer and the entire Nigerian Senate to public opprobrium.”
Despite some senators advocating for a reduced suspension period, the motion was upheld by a majority vote, a move that has sparked both condemnation and praise.
For SERAP, however, this decision represents a blatant infringement on Akpoti-Uduaghan’s fundamental human rights. The organisation has called for the senator’s immediate reinstatement and urged a revision of parliamentary procedures that unduly restrict the rights of lawmakers.
According to SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, “No one should ever be punished for ‘speaking without permission.’ Being a senator does not deprive Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan of her fundamental human rights.” Oluwadare stressed that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension appears to be based solely on the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression in the Senate, adding that all the other grounds cited for her suspension seem to be a pretext to further restrict her fundamental human rights.
”We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 48 hours of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal action to compel you and the Senate to comply with our requests in the public interest,” the letter partly reads.
SERAP urged the Senate to reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan and amend its standing orders to prevent undue restrictions on freedom of expression.
The organisation warned that failure to act promptly would leave it with no option but to seek judicial intervention.
“The Senate Standing Orders 2023 should not and cannot set aside Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to express herself,” SERAP argued, stressing that any restrictions on free speech must be lawful, necessary, and proportionate.
