The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the decision of the National Assembly to prevent suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming duties after the expiration of her six-month suspension, citing a pending case at the Court of Appeal.

The party, which condemned the decision, described the suspension as “unjust” in the first instance, adding that denying her resumption amounted to a further breach of the rights of her constituents in the Kogi Central Senatorial District to be represented in the Senate.

“This reported action by the Clerk of the National Assembly smacks of a calculated attempt orchestrated by the Senator Akpabio-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate leadership to abridge the right of representation of the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District and deny them a voice at the highest law-making body in the country.

“The attempt to use the National Assembly establishment against an elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in gross violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Standing Rules of the Senate, is highly provocative and constitutes a clear and present danger to democracy and the overall stability of our country.

“It also forms part of the antics repeatedly deployed by the APC-controlled Senate and the Federal Government to suffocate the opposition, further confirming the creeping totalitarianism in our country under the APC government,” PDP National Publicity Secretary, Honourable Debo Ologunagba, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the PDP, was suspended by the Senate on March 6, 2025, for alleged misconduct and for breaching its rules on seat allocation.

During the suspension, she made sexual harassment allegations against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, a petition later dismissed by the Senate Committee on Ethics, which investigated her claims.

In a letter dated August 28, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan informed the Clerk to the National Assembly that her suspension would expire on September 4, 2025, and that she intended to immediately resume duties at the legislative building.

However, the Acting Clerk, Mr. Yahaya Danzaria, responded to the lawmaker, noting that while she claimed her resumption date was September 4, the matter remained sub judice.

“I am further directed to inform you that your suspension was with effect from Thursday, March 6, 2025, and to draw your attention to the fact that the subject matter of your suspension is presently before the Court of Appeal.

“The matter, therefore, remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, and the Senate formally reviews the suspension in light of the court’s pronouncement, no administrative action can be taken by this office to facilitate your resumption,” the Clerk’s letter, dated September 4, partly read.

According to the management, Akpoti-Uduaghan would be duly notified when she would be allowed to resume at the Senate.

But on Tuesday, the PDP rejected the position, insisting that the action “further brings to the fore allegations of attacks on the rights of women and sustained attempts to stifle their voices, as witnessed in the various accusations of harassment against women levelled against the current Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over the years.”

While opposing the National Assembly’s stance, the party further stated:

“The PDP demands that the Senate President should come clean on the various allegations instead of seeking to use the National Assembly establishment to further harass, intimidate, and keep Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan away from the Senate.

“The extreme persecution of a six-month suspension unjustly imposed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, contrary to the Rules of the Senate, is more than enough, and the PDP stands with the people of Kogi Central and all well-meaning Nigerians in condemning this unwarranted renewed attack on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“Our party strongly cautions the Clerk of the National Assembly to withdraw the said letter and to play by the rules by remaining neutral as a bureaucrat, rather than allowing himself to be politically entangled and used as a tool to undermine democracy and the rule of law in the National Assembly and Nigeria.

“The PDP calls on the international community, democratic institutions, rights advocacy groups, and other democracy development partners to rise in condemnation of this renewed attack on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“While charging Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to disregard the reported letter by the Clerk of the National Assembly and prepare to resume at the Senate, the PDP demands that the Senate leadership ensures she is allowed to resume her duties and perform her role as an elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without hindrance." (Nigerian Tribune)

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