Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
By Angela Oputu
A group of more than 1,000 women-focused civil society organisations called the Coalition of Concerned Women for Legislative Integrity (CCWLI), has called on the Senate to immediately file an appeal against the Federal High Court judgment which ordered the reinstatement of Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The coalition made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, describing the judgement as “deeply troubling” and “a potential threat to the sanctity of parliamentary discipline and democratic integrity.”
The group’s National President, Nana Abdullahi, a lawyer, called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the leadership of the Red Chamber to defend the legislature’s autonomy.
It warned that the judgment, if left unchallenged, could “open the floodgates of indiscipline, misinformation, and abuse of legislative privilege” in Nigeria’s parliament.
The coalition noted that the senator’s suspension followed her total disregard for Senate rules and the leadership of the Red Chamber.
“We are women. We are mothers. But we are not blind to recklessness paraded as courage.
“A woman who gets elected into the hallowed chamber must carry that privilege with honour, not use it to wage vendettas or cast aspersions on her state without due diligence.
“The Senate leadership should not allow populist sentiment or external pressure to override the duty of enforcing accountability within the chamber,” the coalition said.
It would be recalled that the Federal High Court Abuja in Abuja presided by Justice Binta Nyako on July 4 held that Sen Natasha’s six-month suspension from the Senate was excessive and without legal foundation.
Justice Nyako had declared that the Senate has no power to impose such an extended suspension that would effectively silence a constituency.
The court had in the judgment however also convicted the senator of contempt of court and ordered her to pay a fine of N5 million naira.
She was also ordered to write a profuse apology for the said offence featuring it in two national newspapers as well as her official Facebook page.
The coalition maintained that the Senate acted within its disciplinary powers and described the six-month suspension as “a proportionate response to the gravity of Natasha’s conduct.”
The group also rejected Justice Nyako’s assertion that the suspension infringed on the rights of Kogi Central constituents.
“The people of Kogi Central were not suspended — their representative was. And they deserve better than a lawmaker whose interventions often descend into provocation rather than policy.
“It is not feminism to excuse indiscipline. It is not women’s empowerment to encourage the abuse of parliamentary immunity.
“If a male senator had made such allegations without evidence, the punishment would have stood without debate. This selective outrage is hypocritical and dangerous,” the groups said.
The coalition also acknowledged the court’s role in adjudicating disputes but insisted that judicial restraint was needed in matters relating to internal legislative discipline.
They argued that the long-term health of Nigeria’s democracy depended on clarity regarding the limits of judicial intervention in legislative processes.
“Any attempt to back down now would amount to surrendering the Senate’s constitutional authority to discipline its members.
“We are calling on the Senate to file a prompt appeal, not just in defence of the Natasha case, but in defence of its institutional dignity,” the coalition said.
The women group further criticised what it described as “a pattern of political exhibitionism” by the first time senator, accusing her of turning every disciplinary issue into a gendered media spectacle.
“Natasha’s entire political career has been built on confrontation and provocation. It may earn applause on social media, but governance is not performance art,” the group said.
On the N5 million fine imposed on her by the court for violating its prior gag order, the coalition described it as a mild but symbolic rebuke, and urged the senator to henceforth show more restraint in her public conduct.
“We hope she pays that fine quietly and uses the time to reflect. Democracy is not a theatre for constant drama,” the group said.
The coalition further said it would formally write to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, copying all presiding officers, to demand a swift move toward filing an appeal.
“Our position is firm: until a higher court says otherwise, the Senate must stand by its decision. That judgment should not be the last word,” the group added.
