Human Rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has criticised the Nigerian Senate for blocking Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return to the red chamber despite completing her six-month suspension.
Effiong described the Senate’s decision as “double jeopardy,” arguing that Akpoti-Uduaghan has served her punishment and should be allowed to resume her duties.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, following allegations of insubordination after she rejected a change of her designated seat during plenary.
The suspension was met with controversy, with Akpoti-Uduaghan claiming it was politically motivated and an attempt to silence her.
The Senate insists that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension remained in force pending the outcome of a Court of Appeal case instituted against the Senate by the senator.
In a letter dated September 4, 2025, the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Yahaya Danzaria, stated that no administrative action could be taken until the Court of Appeal delivers a verdict, citing the matter as still subjudice.
Effiong expressed his views on Tuesday Channels Television’s Politics Today, saying, “What is the substance of the appeal?
”The substance of the appeal relates to the legality and constitutionality of the six months suspension which has now elapsed. Because what they are now doing amounts to double jeopardy.
”(She) has been penalised for a definite period and has served that definite period.”
He also described the Senate’s letter as “embarrassing, scandalous, contemptuous, and very disparaging of the Nigerian people”.
The dispute highlighted the complexities of parliamentary procedures and the rule of law in Nigeria.
If the Court of Appeal upholds the Senate’s action, the suspension may continue, leaving Akpoti-Uduaghan sidelined indefinitely.
Conversely, if the court rules in her favor, the Senate may be compelled to lift the suspension immediately.
