Socio-political activist Aisha Yesufu has pledged her support for Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who has insisted on resuming her duties at the Senate on Tuesday despite opposition from the upper legislative chamber.
Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Mrs Yesufu affirmed that she and others would accompany the embattled senator to the National Assembly, insisting that Akpoti-Uduaghan had every legal right to return to office following a court judgment declaring her suspension unconstitutional.
“I think Senator Natasha has every right to resume office, and by tomorrow, she is not going to resume alone. There are people who are going to go with her, and I’ll be one of them,” she said.
“We’ll be with her and stand with her. And if the Senate decides they are going to kill us, let them kill us.”
Yesufu condemned what she described as systemic discrimination against women in Nigerian politics, noting that only four out of 109 senators are women.
“Yet you go after them, you’re going after this particular lady who has done nothing other than discharge her duty the way it should be. Enough of us being treated in this country as if we are second-class citizens,” she said.
She also berated the Senate for disregarding a valid court decision and described the suspension as both unconstitutional and unlawful.
“The court didn’t stop Natasha from going in, so she has a right to resume office. The court has ruled that the whole suspension is unconstitutional. The Senate didn’t make Natasha a senator, her people did and there’s no way you can deprive them of their representation,” Yesufu argued.
She further accused the Senate of disobeying court orders while expressing frustration at what she called the judiciary’s decline under political pressure.
“The judiciary, which should be the last hope of the common man, is now a pawn in the hands of corrupt politicians. Even when a judgement is delivered, the judiciary now looks at the body language of those dictating what should be written,” she said.
Meanwhile, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan reaffirmed over the weekend that she intends to resume at the Senate on Tuesday, regardless of the pending appeal filed by Senate president Godswill Akpabio.
Speaking in her hometown of Ihima, Kogi State, the senator said, “I’ve written to the Senate again, telling them that I’m resuming on the 22nd, which is Tuesday, by the special grace of God.”
“I will be there because the court did make a decision on that. They may argue that it’s not an order, but it is a decision.”
She noted that although she continued to engage with her constituency through empowerment programmes, the suspension had significantly limited her ability to sponsor bills and contribute meaningfully to Senate debates.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier ruled that the senator’s six-month suspension was unconstitutional and advised the Senate to reinstate her.
The ruling followed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension on March 6 over alleged breach of Senate rules and a controversial row involving seat arrangements and her sexual misconduct allegation against Akpabio, a claim the Senate president has denied.
However, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu, in a statement on Sunday, insisted that the court’s ruling was merely advisory and did not contain any enforceable order for Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement.
“It is therefore surprising and legally untenable that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan… is attempting to act upon an imaginary order of recall that does not exist,” Adaramodu said.
He warned that any attempt by the senator to return to the chamber before the expiration of her suspension would undermine the dignity of the Senate.
“The Senate, as a law-abiding institution, is committed to upholding the rule of law and the integrity of its proceedings. It will not tolerate the disruption of its proceedings,” he said.
He added that the Senate would, “at the appropriate time,” consider the court’s advisory opinion and communicate a decision regarding her status.
