By Kabir Adeniyi
LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) – A Nigerian High Court on Friday directed the Senate to immediately recall a lawmaker who was suspended for six months after accusing the Senate’s president of sexual harassment.
Justice Binta Nyako delivered the ruling in the capital Abuja, describing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as excessive and lacking a clear legal foundation.
She said neither the Senate Standing Orders nor the Legislative Houses Act authorizes such lengthy disciplinary action.
Since the National Assembly is mandated to convene for only 181 days per legislative year, suspending a lawmaker for roughly that same length of time effectively silences the voice of an entire constituency.
“While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation,” Nyako ruled.
In March, Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of obstructing her legislative motions after she rejected his inappropriate advances towards her.
The matter was referred to the Senate Ethics Committee, which later suspended her.
Nigeria’s Federal High Court ruled on Friday that the Senate’s six-month suspension of Uduaghan was excessive and legally unsupported. The court rejected his claim that the judiciary had no authority over what he called an “internal affair” of the legislature, stressing that ensuring citizens’ fundamental rights and parliamentary representation falls squarely within its jurisdiction.
The court also imposed a fine on Akpoti-Uduaghan for breaching a prior court directive that barred both parties from making public statements on the ongoing legal matter.
This is not the first time Akpabio has been accused of sexual harassment, but he has repeatedly denied any misconduct.