An emerging constitutional crisis is unfolding in the National Assembly following Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s insistence on resuming legislative duties today despite fierce pushback from the Senate’s lawyers and a growing swirl of misinformation about the Federal High Court, Auja’s ruling on her suspension.
The legal storm erupted after a video of Akpoti-Uduaghan addressing supporters surfaced online, in which she claimed that the court had ruled in her favour, and directed her reinstatement.
Her declaration triggered swift and pointed reactions, including a cautionary letter dated July 5 and purportedly authored by Paul Daudu, SAN, counsel to the Senate, warning her not to force her way back into the chamber.
But the controversy took another twist when Daudu issued a disclaimer yesterday denying authorship of the open letter circulating on social media. He affirmed his respect for J.S. Okutepa, SAN—Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lead counsel—describing him as a father and mentor, and asserting that he confines all legal arguments to the courtroocoutrhis is even as a group of over 1,000 women-focused civil society organisations has urged the Senate to immediately appeal the ruling that reportedly ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement.
The Coalition of Concerned Women for Legislative Integrity (CCWLI), in a statement yesterday in Abuja, described the judgment as “deeply troubling” and “a potential threat to the sanctity of parliamentary discipline and democratic integrity.”
The coalition’s national president, Nana Amina Abdullahi, called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the leadership of the Red Chamber to defend the legislature’s autonomy and “not allow populist sentiment or external pressure to override the duty of enforcing accountability within the chamber.”
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension was excessive and without legal foundation
She ordered the Kogi Central senator’s immediate return, saying the Senate had no power to impose such an extended suspension that would effectively silence a constituency.
But the group warned that the judgment if left unchallenged, could “open the floodgates of indiscipline, misinformation, and abuse of legislative privilege” in the parliament.
It argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension followed her total disregard for Senate rules and the leadership of the Red Chamber.
Meanwhile , the embattled lawmaker has declared that her suspension from the upper legislative chamber did not deter her from continuing to serve her constituents. She emphasised that throughout the period, she remained actively engaged in projects aimed at improving the lives of the people she represents.
Speaking during the flag-off of two “smart market” projects in Okene and Okehi Local Councils, Akpoti-Uduaghan reaffirmed her commitment to grassroots development and inclusive governance.
The initiative, she said, is part of a broader effort to enhance economic opportunities, especially for women and small-scale traders. Each market would house 80 modern stalls – 40 lockup shops and 40 open ones – equipped with solar-powered electricity, boreholes, modern toilets, power sockets, truck-accessible loading bays, and security-enhancing streetlights.
The markets are located at Ihima Central Market in Oboroke, Okehi council area, and a new community market in Okene Local Council. According to the lawmaker, the locations were selected based on their potential for growth and accessibility.
“This project is just one of many constituency interventions we have lined up for the people of Kogi Central,” she said, adding that the markets are to be completed and commissioned by November to mark her second year in office.
Akpoti-Uduaghan restated her philosophy of inclusive representation, stating: “I represent all the good people of Kogi Central at the Senate. Politics is for elections; after that, it is performance that matters – and performance must impact everyone, regardless of political affiliation.”