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Why Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan cannot resume at the Senate yet
By Ken Harries Esq
In Nigeria’s political landscape, the National Assembly is meant to be a sanctuary of sober deliberation and a place where rules and processes are observed with discipline, decorum and responsibility. Yet in this same hallowed chamber, the suspended Kogi Central Senatorial District Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has continued to demonstrate a determination not to play by the book but to tear it up altogether. Her rebuffed threat to resume legislative duties on 4 September 2025, after a six-month suspension, has exposed a troubling mix of arrogance, hypocrisy, and legal incoherence. It is one thing for a politician to fight for survival. It is quite another for a trained lawyer to insult the intelligence of the very system of justice she once pledged to defend.
The acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, wrote a letter that has since circulated widely, calmly reminding Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan that her case is still before the Court of Appeal and that her unilateral announcement to return to the Senate chamber is an exercise in futility.
That letter was not a mere administrative formality. It was the institutional voice of the legislature reaffirming a principle as old as democracy itself: that one cannot be both litigant and judge in the same matter. It was the Senate standing firm, refusing to be bullied, and placing fidelity to process above the whims of one desperate politician.
■ The Suspension, the Court, and the Contempt
To understand the quagmire in which Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan now writhes, one must trace the sequence of her missteps. On 6 March 2025, she was suspended for six months following an unruly behavior towards the Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat allocation, a quarrel that she escalated by levelling accusations of sexual harassment without any proof. The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions investigated and imposed suspension as a disciplinary measure to preserve the dignity of the hallowed chamber.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan refused to accept this sanction. Instead, she raced to the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking judicial intervention. There, she encountered a ruling that should have taught her humility. On 4 July 2025, Justice Binta Nyako delivered an unambiguous verdict. The disciplinary measures and suspension were indeed found to be constitutional and well situated within the prisms of law and order. Yet, in the same ruling, the court fined her five million naira and to apologize in some National Newspapers for civil contempt after finding that she had violated a gag order. To be clear, the very court to which she turned for relief also found her guilty of misconduct.
This is where the doctrine of equity becomes relevant. The maxim that he who goes to equity must go with clean hands is not a rhetorical flourish but a cornerstone of legal reasoning, recognised in common law and frequently cited in Nigerian jurisprudence. Cases, such as Awojugbagbe Light Industries Ltd v. Chinukwe (1995), stand as monuments to its enduring power. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s contempt conviction poisoned her entire plea. She sought justice with stained hands. She left the court diminished and shredded.
Her response to the judgement was not to acknowledge this taint with remorse but to appeal. She challenged the fine imposed while the Senate simultaneously filed a cross appeal. By their appeals, both sides placed the matter before the Court of Appeal, which has yet to pronounce upon it. Under Section 18 of the Court of Appeal Act, filing an appeal does not itself stay the execution of a judgement unless expressly ordered. Yet, in cases involving parliamentary privileges, a higher principle comes into play. The subjudice rule demands that parties refrain from actions that may prejudice an ongoing case. That is why the Clerk’s letter pointed out to the obvious: until the Court of Appeal delivers judgement, nothing can be done. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is bound by that rule. Her decision to disregard it is not only reckless but also contemptuous of the very system she invoked.
■ Playing Judge in Her Own Case
The arrogance of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct lies in her decision to appoint herself as judge, jury, and enforcer. She announced her return to the Senate chamber as though she were the Court of Appeal itself. This is not only laughable but also dangerous, for it undermines the doctrine of natural justice embodied in the principle of __nemo judex in causa sua,_ which holds that no one should sit in judgement over his or her own case.
This principle has been enforced repeatedly in the Nigerian courts. In _Garba v. University of Maiduguri_ (1986), the Supreme Court made it clear that fairness requires impartial adjudication. Yet here is Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a lawyer no less, choosing to place herself above that principle. Her unilateral declaration that her suspension has expired ignores the fact that the Senate’s cross appeal is still alive and pending. It also ignores the constitutional power of the National Assembly to regulate its own procedures under Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution(as amended). The Senate has exercised that power and appealed to defend it. By attempting to circumvent this process, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is attempting to tear apart the fabric of separation of powers.
Those who argue that the High Court’s order should have an immediate effect overlook the unique character of this case. This is not a landlord–tenant quarrel or a commercial dispute where execution can run immediately unless stayed. This is a constitutional contest between legislative privilege and judicial oversight. In such matters, courts themselves have traditionally acted with restraint to avoid unnecessary intrusions into parliamentary autonomy. The case of __El-Rufai v. House of Representatives_ (2003) is instructive, demonstrating the caution with which Nigerian courts approach disciplinary decisions of legislative bodies.
For the avoidance of doubt, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s insistence on barging back into the chamber while the matter is under judicial review is more than procedural error. It is an affront to both the Senate and the Court of Appeal. It is akin to storming the pitch during a football match, while the referee is still consulting the video assistant referee(VAR). It is not only premature, but it is also disruptive. And, in politics, disruption of this kind invites fresh sanctions. The Senate would be well within its rights to impose additional penalties, and the Court of Appeal itself might take notice if it sees her conduct as an attempt to ridicule its authority.
■ Hypocrisy, Partisan Noise, and Lessons from History
The hypocrisy at play here is simply breathtaking. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan claims to be the champion of justice and victim of harassment, yet she herself has been fined for contempt by a court of law. She insists on the sanctity of judicial review, yet now chooses to disregard the same judicial process by cherry picking and acting as though the appellate court’s verdict has already been written in her favour. She wears the robe of victimhood while wielding the sword of impunity. This is not the behaviour of a principled lawmaker. It is the behaviour of a political opportunist who wants sympathy when it suits her and who spits on process when it does not.
Her political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has joined the charade by urging her to resume duties regardless of the pending appeal. This exposes the bankruptcy of its legal reasoning. It treats the law like a buffet table where one can select only the dishes that appeal to one’s palate. But the law does not work that way. It is a full meal that must be consumed in its entirety, bitter herbs and all. The acting Clerk’s letter is not an excuse, as her party would claim, but a necessary reminder that institutions must be defended from the tyranny of personal ambition and lure for power.
Comparisons from other democracies shed further light. In the United Kingdom, Members of Parliament have been suspended for lesser infractions, and none has dared return without due process. In Canada, suspensions have been treated with the utmost seriousness, with courts declining to interfere in the internal proceedings of Parliament. In India, similar disputes have arisen, and each time, the judiciary has been careful not to usurp the disciplinary powers of the legislature. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s antics, therefore, do not represent boldness but recklessness. They show contempt not only for Nigerian institutions but also for the global traditions of parliamentary governance.
■ The Road Ahead
As of 10 September 2025, the Court of Appeal remained silent. That silence is eloquent. It tells the country that the matter is not yet ripe for conclusion. It reminds us that justice takes time and that impatience is not a substitute for law. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat remains empty, and rightly so. She has entangled herself in a legal bind of her own making. She appealed a ruling that never favoured her, yet she now demands the immediate enforcement of a non existent judgement, ignoring the fact that the whole case remains under review.
This is the behaviour of a politician who has lost sight of principle. It is the behaviour of a lawyer who has betrayed her calling. By attempting to bulldoze her way back into the Senate chamber, she has deepened her isolation, eroded her credibility, and risked a legacy as the senator who could not wait for the courts to do their job.
The question here is not whether the Senate is right to shut its doors against the erring senator. The National Assembly has acted with restraint, dignity, and firmness. It has shown that it will not be cowed by theatrics. Most importantly, it has respected the judiciary by waiting for its verdict. And, it has upheld the constitutional order by refusing to allow an individual to hijack its processes. That is the mark of an institution that takes itself seriously.
The right question to ponder now is whether Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has learned that theatrics cannot upstage set legal procedures. Whatever the answer, she still has a choice. She can pay her fine, show contrition, and await the judgement of the Court of Appeal. Or she can continue along the reckless path of self-aggrandisement, in which case she risks being remembered not as a trailblazing senator but as a cautionary tale. Nigeria deserves lawmakers who live by the law and not by political theatrics. Clean hands remain the only acceptable requirement in the court of justice. Until Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan acquires them, her rightful place is not on the floor of the Senate but in the waiting room of accountability.
•Ken Harries Esq is an Abuja based Development Communication Specialist
Key Management staff of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Seplat Energy Plc met with principal officers of the Delta State University (DELSU), at Abraka, Delta State, on Monday to deliberate on critical processes toward the take-off of a Centre of Excellence in Gas Development, approved for the institution by the Board in 2024.
The project, which is the latest among similar ones at Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, and Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, is the outcome of an NCDMB-commissioned research undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to provide a 10-year road map for research and development (R&D) for the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
Speaking at the event, the Director, Corporate Services, of the NCDMB, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, who represented the Board’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, recalled that personnel of the Board and Seplat have held a series of engagements since 2024 to ensure they achieved a scope that clearly outlined the essence of what a centre of excellence is supposed to deliver in terms of infrastructure, equipment, capacity development, research policy and most importantly, sustainability of the project.
He disclosed that the Managements of NCDMB and Seplat Energy have endorsed the scope and were ready for the take-off of the project, with a team of technical experts already assembled to manage the entire process. He reiterated that the Standing Committee of the Board that has been managing the project since conception has been further reinforced with the inclusion of new personnel of general manager cadre to ensure that expectations of the project are met.
“We wish to reassure you,” Dr. Halilu declared, that “the Executive Secretary is fully committed to the project, not just at the project development phase but even during execution,” and has accordingly deployed the full complement of staff covering quality assurance, research and development, and related operational units to achieve the best results.
In his own remarks, the Nigerian Content Manager of Seplat Energy, Mr. Simeon Ogari, said his company, which operates the 300 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) ANOH Gas Processing Plant, a 50/50 Joint Venture with the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), chose Delta State University, Abraka, for the Centre of Excellence project because of its proximity to his company’s major operational base.
While underlining the commitment of the company’s Management to timely completion and sustenance, he pointed out that the Research Centre in Gas Development would be beneficial not only to the institution but to the oil and gas industry and the country at large as a centre for advanced research and technology incubation.
He, however, emphasised the importance of collaboration, pointing out that “There is nothing as good as looking at the Triple Helix Model,” as every research centre in the world has government, institution, and the private sector working together in critically important roles. He said he expected same for the upcoming Centre.
Giving the background to the project, the Chief Executive Officer of GOSHEN, the management firm in charge of the project, Mr. Leonard Okafor, noted that the research work undertaken by PricewaterhouseCooper showed that Nigeria is “operating an enclave economy,” without adequate intersectoral linkages, and that “there was need for entrenched local content in the oil and gas industry.” The Research Centre, he explained, was one of a number of initiatives designed to address the deficits.
The PwC research, he stated, also identified five areas where R&D would enhance local participation in the oil and gas industry, namely, Collaboration, Infrastructure, Capability, Commercial/Legal Framework, and Funding. He emphasised that “Finding the right collaboration is critical,” noting that academics with sound research backgrounds and who are well-published are particularly required for a project of this nature.
Explaining further what he titled as “Standard Requirements from Host Institutions,” the management consultant listed availability of research staff for secondment to [the Research] Centre, availability of non-research/administrative staff for secondment to the Centre, essential policy documents (Existing MoU for any existing research centre/collaboration between DELSU and other parties], Research Policy, and Finance and Procurement Policy).
In his own response, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Samuel Oghenovo Asagba, thanked NCDMB and Seplat for the world-class research facility they have decided to build at DELSU, assuring them that he would do his best to meet all requirements for successful take-off.
In regard to collaboration, he said the University, which was rated by Times Higher Education in 2026 as “The best state-owned university in Nigeria,” has very competent academics, renowned for their research output, to fulfil the requirement of collaboration. “In science and engineering, DELSU has high-flyers,” he declared.
Also speaking, the General Manager, Quality Assurance, of the NCDMB, Mr. Chris Osuji, said his department was involved in the project to ensure top-notch finishing. According to him, “From inception to completion, NCDMB Quality Assurance is to be actively engaged,” he stated.
In a vote of thanks, the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, of the NCDMB, Mr. Silas Ajimijaye, expressed appreciation to Seplat for providing the required funding, while urging the University Management to use the project to etch its name in gold.
In a similar vein, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Professor Douglason Omotor, thanked NCDMB and Seplat for the initiative, while assuring that the project executors would find technically competent academics and seasoned administrators to provide effective collaboration.
NLNG has disbursed a total of ₦250 million in grants to 51 entrepreneurs following the conclusion of its 2026 Vocational Innovation and Business Empowerment Scheme (VIBES), which commenced with the induction of 103 participants from its host communities in Rivers State.
The grants followed a competitive pitch-a-thon that brought the programme to a close, with participants presenting their business ideas and funding requirements before a panel of judges. Selections were based on the viability, scalability, and sustainability of each proposal.
Speaking at the event, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, said the grant component of VIBES is designed to ensure that participants are not left with just training, but are supported to take the next practical step in establishing their businesses.
“What we are doing with this funding is bridging the gap between learning and execution. Many small businesses struggle at that stage where they have the knowledge but lack the capital to move forward. Through VIBES, we are providing targeted support to help these entrepreneurs implement their ideas, stabilise their operations, and position their businesses for growth,” she said.
Horsfall added that the initiative reflects NLNG’s broader approach to sustainable community development, noting that combining capacity building with access to funding enables beneficiaries to make measurable progress, strengthen their businesses, and create real economic value within their communities. “It is about providing sustainable livelihoods”, she said.
In his remark, Manager, Community Relations and Sustainable Development, Yemi Adeyemi, commended participants for their dedication throughout the programme and the quality of ideas presented during the pitch-a-thon. He noted that the funding is intended to provide critical growth capital to enable beneficiaries expand operations, improve productivity, create jobs, and strengthen their market position.
He thanked all participants for their commitment and reaffirmed NLNG’s continued investment in enterprise development, and support for initiatives that build local capacity, promote entrepreneurship, and create sustainable economic opportunities in its host communities.
The pitch-a-thon marked the culmination of a four-week intensive business capacity-building programme, during which participants were equipped with practical skills in financial management, business strategy, marketing, and operations to strengthen their enterprises.
The programme, built on innovation, scalability, and sustainability, reinforces NLNG’s commitment to inclusive economic development, integrating capacity building with funding to help entrepreneurs grow, sustain their businesses, and drive long-term impact.
I bet you didn’t know Abike Dabiri. Two factors will make this possible. Either you were not around in Nigeria in the golden era of our Nigerian television girls – the era when being a regular face on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) gave you the golden key to open all doors – or you were somewhere in the villages very far and distant from civilization – many of us were – that included not having access to the television.
O! You didn’t know? You didn’t know a time was in this clime when seeing a television screen from a distance, was one of the biggest privileges one could get let alone watching it – that people clustered at the windows of homes with television sets to catch a glimpse of Village Headmaster, for instance.
You’re carrying shoulders because you probably met the time when carrying a Blackberry phone was all you needed to get that fine babe behind your sheets! Today, you thought that because you could now watch your matches on your phone – I watched all the AFCON matches on my phone, being on the road most times – there was no time men had to climb walls to turn television antennas to get some appreciable pictures. Chai! This changing world.
Bet you didn’t hear about Bimbo Roberts – later Bimbo Oloyede, Julie Coker and later Augusta Maduegbuna, Elizabeth Nze, Sienne Alwell-Brown, Ruth Benamesia-Opia, Eugenia Abu, Ronke Ayuba, Kehinde Young-Harry, Lola Alakija, in no particular order. No! You wouldn’t if you were not that privileged in the 1980s and even 1990s. They were the glamour of that era.
Glamour? Not in the sense of beauty – but glamour, because television made them so. For indeed, some of these television faces, were not that glamourous.
But beauty or no, Abike Dabiri was one of the discoveries of that era. Obviously not in competition with these others who were the newscasters on NTA News At Nine, she actually carved a niche for herself elsewhere on Newsline – the soft-sell edition of the station’s news programme aired every Sunday.
Abike Dabiri was a toast of that programme. She was a reporter’s reporter – traversing beyond the seven seas and seven wildernesses to bring to Nigerians those rare stories that either made Nigerians laugh their hearts out or cry their eyes out – a doyenne of human-interest reporting.
Then, suddenly – suddenly – suddenly – the serpent came with the forbidden fruit – the temptation of higher ground – the allure of high office – Tinubu’s tainted chalice that comes like glittering ornament but with hollow and rotten underbelly. She took, she ate and now everything scatter-scatter. Our dear Abike Dabiri accepted and ate the sour grape and now her teeth are set on edge! What a pity!
The breeze has blown to uncover the romp of the hen. Before now, whoever believed that our dear Abike Dabiri farts. But we now know that Abike Dabiri-Erewa not only farts, but her fart smells badly. At first, no one noticed the degeneration.
The time she was at the House of Representatives, was the golden era of Tinubu. That was when the Jagaban Borgu was the governor of Lagos State. She glowed along by tapping from glittering appeal of the Lagos show boy!
At that time, Tinubu was generally holding the golden trophy adorned with the beautiful calligraphy of democracy in Nigeria. That was before he drank from the poisoned chalice of Muhammadu Buhari, his predecessor by joining him in the hatred for the Igbo man – a phenomenon that becomes the nemesis of some Nigerian leaders – Buhari’s major insignia. Then the desperation! Then the degeneration! Now the albatross!
Now, whoever hates the Igbo and remains the same? None! That was what sealed Buhari’s fate. And surely the snake that bit that braindead archeological discovery – that museum piece – has definitely whipped Tinubu with its tail and the rest is now history. If not, compare a Tinubu as governor when he was all cozy with Ndigbo and now he has turned 360 degrees.
And as long as the darkness will give way to reveal the sun breaking from the East, the sting of the snake’s tail will reach everyone who toes that line. You know why, the dominant culture of the Igbo man is ofo n’ogu – justice, equity and fair-play! Have you watched an Igbo man pray with colanut.
He wakes up and with his cola in his hands, beckons on his chi with these words – ndu mmiri, ndu azu, mmiri atanaa, azu anwuna – the life of the river, the life of the fish – may the water not dry and may the fish not die! Egbe bere ugo bere, nke si ibeya ebena nku kwaa ya – let the kite perch and let the eagle perch – whichever says the other should not perch, may its wings whither. Which other people say the same or similar prayer elsewhere?
Now, because the kid-goat watches when the mother-goat is chewing the cud, hating the Igbo has become a fad among those who want to please Tinubu. Obviously, the totem through which this sentiment find expression is Peter Obi. He has become the tree standing by the roadside that receives the strokes of the machete. Obi has remained the hieroglyph for expressing real and imagined pro-Igbo angst.
So, in 2025, when Babajide Sanwo-Olu wanted to mend fences with Tinubu, after allegedly falling out of favour with his boss, he launched an unprovoked attack on Obi, using the latter’s Johns Hopkins University lecture as a pad. Reno Omokri, has since made himself Minister of Peter Obi Affairs. Daniel Bwala, Femi Fani-Kayode et al along this line never end a line without Obi getting a slash of their machete.
Enter our dear Abike Dabiri-Erewa. The little birds flying around whistle that her tenure as Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiCOM) is coming to an end and she is eying a renewal or another job from the Jagaban. How else to go about it than the low-hanging fruit? – Peter Obi.
From nowhere, on Sunday, the media were suffused with the screaming headline – “Peter Obi has actually raised monsters.” As it were with syndicated stories, each of the medium used to transport the outing carried the same headline – well crafted – of course, using her journalism skill to make maximum impact.
After rambling some clearly obtuse and incoherent words in form of reasoning, she ended up with even more brainless, imbecilic and asinine submission – by the time it is Igbo turn to produce Nigerian President, Obidents – followers of Obi – would have destroyed his chances. Me paraphrasing. Chai!
Now, aunty Abike, whose turn is it now? Isn’t already the turn of Ndigbo and the selfsame Obi? Isn’t it part of the argument that the seat your Jagaban is occupying was stolen from Ndigbo? So, you know that Ndigbo also have a stake to it? Yes! You know. But now you have eaten Tinubu’s palm nuts, see how your teeth have all turned red.
But Ndigbo have another way of invoking justice – ochu nwa-okuko nwe ada ma nwa-okuko nwe nwenwe-oso! I won’t explain. Find an Igbo staff at NiMCOM – if there is one – because I hear you hate them so much that finding one near you might be impossible. But even a cleaner in your office could help or better still – ask your spare parts seller. He’s sure to be Igbo!
My name is Sunny Igboanugo, I’m The Tiny Voice!
NCDMB, Seplat firm up plans for take-off of Centre of Excellence at DELSU
NLNG concludes 2026 VIBES Pitch-a-Thon, disburses ₦250m in business grants
Abike Dabiri: Did Obi raise a monster or you’re drunk on Tinubu’s poisoned chalice?
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