With the return of Kogi Central senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to the National Assembly, former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has urged the Senate to stop all hostilities and silent punishments, restore her full rights and privileges as a senator, and respect the people’s mandate.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months by the Senate leadership following altercations between her and the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In a post on her X page, Ezekwesili congratulated the Kogi senator on returning to the Senate to resume her duties to her people, who were “unconstitutionally long-deprived of representation.”

She stated, “You have become a symbol of the fortitude and resilience necessary to fight injustice perpetrated against citizens by those who abuse public power. Thank you!

“To the Senate and senators, now that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been rightfully allowed to return to the Senate after months of an unfair and punitive suspension, it is time for your leadership and members to do the right thing – end all forms of harassment or targeting against her.”

According to the transparency advocate, the suspension is seen by all reasonable Nigerians as an act of injustice – one that went far beyond the bounds of fair discipline and sent the wrong message that the Senate could silence or intimidate a woman who speaks boldly and stands for what she believes in.

She asserted, “Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement, therefore, provides the Senate with a chance to correct that mistake and show the public that it can uphold fairness and respect for every elected member.”

Urging a stop to all hostilities and silent punishments, she said there must be no more attempts to sideline, frustrate or humiliate Akpoti-Uduaghan for simply doing her job.

Other demands by Ezekwesili include: “Restore her full rights and privileges as a senator; her office, her staff, her committee roles and her right to speak freely in the chamber must be available for her to fully function.

“The Senate must prove it can handle all matters involving individual members with maturity and not weaponise public power to unjustly punish the aggrieved. Show respect for the people’s mandate. To target her any further is to disrespect the will of her voters.”

For Ezekwesili, this is not only about Akpoti-Uduaghan; it is about what kind of democracy Nigeria wants to build – one where no one is punished for standing up for the truth, and where women can lead without fear of bias or bullying.

She urged the Senate to remember that power is best shown not through intimidation but through transparent actions, fairness, restraint and accountability.

“The Senate has a chance to turn this page the right way – by treating Akpoti-Uduaghan with the same dignity and respect given to every other member. How the Senate handles the substantive matter of her allegation against the Senate President, going forward from now, is the crux of what citizens will judge the 10th Senate by, to see whether our highest lawmaking body leads by example.

“There is a new vista for many of her colleagues to seize the second chance and finally stand to be counted in insisting that ‘the injustice shall not be sustained’. Nigerians are watching, and history will remember whether the Senate chose vindictiveness or justice,” she posited.