Senator Ned Nwoko, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Reparation and Repatriation, has urged the Senate to stand firm amid the controversy surrounding the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central.
Nwoko emphasized that the Senate must not succumb to “emotional blackmail” or “social media outrage fueled by half-truths.”
In a statement on Sunday, Nwoko called for the preservation of the Senate’s discipline and order, asserting, “Nigeria’s democracy thrives when its institutions are strong, disciplined, and governed by rules—not when they are manipulated to serve personal or partisan interests.”
The dispute arose when Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan protested against a seat reallocation, which is a regular and routine practice in the Senate.
According to Nwoko, her reaction escalated beyond the seat issue when she refused to comply with the reallocation and began shouting, “I am not scared of you!” Nwoko added, “If every senator decided to resist a simple procedural adjustment in that manner, the Senate would be ungovernable.”
Nwoko also criticized the public response from Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband, former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, saying, “I was deeply disappointed by her husband’s reaction. I had expected him to find a way to de-escalate the matter to prevent it from becoming a full-blown crisis.”
The Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, with conditions for her return, including a written apology.
Nwoko clarified that the suspension was not for submitting a petition but for her conduct during the Senate session, emphasizing that “no lawmaker, man or woman, is above the rules of the chamber.”
He further dismissed claims of gender-based suppression, saying, “It is disingenuous to claim that this is a case of gender-based suppression when the facts point to a different reality.”
He concluded by stressing the importance of discipline in the Senate: “If we start excusing unruly behavior because of gender, then we are setting a dangerous precedent.”
