Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education and advocate for public policy reform, has openly criticized the Nigerian Senate for what she terms an unconstitutional extension of the suspension imposed on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central.
In a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja, titled “A Memo to the Nigerian Senate, Judiciary and Fellow Citizens,” Ezekwesili condemned the Senate’s decision to prolong the suspension indefinitely, despite a Federal High Court ruling that deemed the original six-month suspension excessive and unconstitutional.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was initially suspended on March 6, 2025, following her allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Instead of conducting a transparent inquiry into the claims, the Senate reportedly mobilized its powers against her, an act Ezekwesili described as a severe breach of constitutional norms, judicial authority, and democratic values.
This criticism came in response to a letter dated September 4, 2025, from the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, which informed Akpoti-Uduaghan that her suspension would continue indefinitely, pending the resolution of her ongoing court appeal.
Ezekwesili labeled this move a constitutional crisis, arguing, “The Senate’s justification that the matter is sub judice is fundamentally flawed. Pending litigation cannot be used as a pretext to extend an unconstitutional suspension.”
She highlighted that Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court had previously ruled the six-month suspension as excessive and in violation of the Constitution.
Emphasizing the impact on democratic representation, Ezekwesili noted that since the National Assembly convenes for only 181 days annually, a six-month suspension effectively strips the constituents of Kogi Central of their rightful voice in governance.
Supporting the court’s decision, she pointed out that the Senate’s own regulations, specifically Order 67(4), limit suspensions to a maximum of 14 days, making the extended suspension a clear breach of internal rules.
She also reminded the public that previous court decisions in 2017 and 2018 had already invalidated prolonged suspensions of lawmakers as unconstitutional.
“The figures are telling,” Ezekwesili stated. “With only 181 sitting days in a year, a suspension lasting over six months means the people of Kogi Central have been denied full representation for more than 100% of the legislative period.”
She warned that inconsistent judicial enforcement has encouraged the legislature to flout legal boundaries.
Calling for urgent intervention, Ezekwesili urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the National Judicial Council (NJC) to expedite the resolution of this case, emphasizing that the judiciary’s integrity is at stake.
“Swift adjudication of the Akpoti-Uduaghan matter is crucial for the courts to demonstrate to Nigerians that they uphold the rule of law and are not complicit in its erosion,” she concluded.
