A group under the aegis of Gaskiya Alliance says Senate’s decision to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan exposes the rot festering within Nigeria’s political elite.
In a statement by its Coordinator, Bello Mohammed Abdullahi said it was regrettable that the senate chose to suspend a female senator who dared to petition the same legislative body over allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President rather than address the grave accusations with the urgency and seriousness they demand.
The statement read, ”The Nigerian Senate has sunk to a despicable new low. It has weaponized its power to silence a whistleblower, shielding alleged predators while punishing victims. This is not governance—it is tyranny.
”The message is clear: in Nigeria’s halls of power, women who speak truth to authority will be crushed. By suspending the petitioner, the Senate has declared open season on survivors of gender-based violence. It has spat on Section 17(2a) of Nigeria’s Constitution, which guarantees “equality of rights, obligations, and opportunities before the law,” and violated international commitments like the *Maputo Protocol*, which Nigeria ratified to protect women’s dignity. What good are laws if those sworn to uphold them instead act as judge, jury, and executioner for their own interests?
”This shameful decision exposes the rot festering within Nigeria’s political elite. A Senate that claims to represent the people has instead chosen to represent the worst of them—a cabal more invested in protecting male privilege than delivering justice. How dare they preach about “national values” while trampling on the rights of women? How dare they demand public trust while operating like a gang of bullies?
”Nigerians are not fooled. Across social media, markets, and homes, outrage simmers. Citizens rightly ask: If a senator can be suspended for demanding accountability, what hope exists for ordinary Nigerians? This is not just about one woman’s ordeal; it is about a system rigged to protect abusers and suffocate dissent. The Senate’s actions mock the #MeToo movement, ridicule the struggles of countless Nigerian women facing harassment in workplaces and schools, and betray every citizen who believed democracy meant justice.
”We condemn this charade in the strongest terms. The Senate’s duty is to serve Nigerians, not terrorize them. Its failure to investigate the harassment claims transparently—and instead punish the accuser—proves it is morally bankrupt and institutionally complicit. To the Senate President: Resign. To the suspended senator: Nigerians stand with you. To every citizen: Demand better.
”This is not the end. History will remember the 10th Senate not for laws passed, but for the justice it denied. Nigeria deserves leaders who fear the people, not leaders who make the people fear”, the statement read.
The Senate on Thursday suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghen for six months for violation of the Red Chambers rules.
“That the Senate do suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months for her total violation of the Senate Standing Rules (2023 as amended for bringing the presiding officer and the entire Nigerian Senate to public opprobrium,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on Thursday while reading out the recommendations of the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Code of Conduct probing her claims.
