A coalition of over 1,000 women-focused civil society organizations, under the banner of the Coalition of Concerned Women for Legislative Integrity (CCWLI), has called on the Nigerian Senate to urgently appeal a Federal High Court ruling ordering the reinstatement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The group described the court’s decision as “deeply troubling” and a potential threat to parliamentary discipline and democratic integrity.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, CCWLI’s National President, Barr. Nana Amina Abdullahi, urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate leadership to defend the legislature’s autonomy by challenging the ruling. The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, had on Friday declared the six-month suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, as excessive and lacking legal basis. The court ordered her immediate reinstatement, arguing that the Senate lacked the authority to impose such a prolonged suspension that effectively silenced her constituency.
The CCWLI, however, warned that allowing the judgment to stand unchallenged could “open the floodgates of indiscipline, misinformation, and abuse of legislative privilege” in Nigeria’s parliament. Abdullahi emphasized that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was a result of her “total disregard for Senate rules and the leadership of the Red Chamber.” The coalition described the suspension as a “proportionate response” to the senator’s conduct, which they claimed included reckless allegations and a lack of due diligence.
“We are women. We are mothers. But we are not blind to recklessness paraded as courage,” Abdullahi stated. “A woman elected to the hallowed chamber must carry that privilege with honor, not use it to wage vendettas or cast aspersions on her state without evidence.”
The group rejected Justice Nyako’s assertion that the suspension violated the rights of Kogi Central constituents, arguing that “the people of Kogi Central were not suspended; their representative was.” They further accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of a pattern of “political exhibitionism,” turning disciplinary matters into “gendered media spectacles” for public sympathy.
The coalition also criticized what it called the “weaponization of feminism” by some international organizations and local activists to excuse bad behavior and undermine institutional standards. “If a male senator had made such allegations without evidence, the punishment would have stood without debate. This selective outrage is hypocritical and dangerous,” Abdullahi said.
While acknowledging the judiciary’s role in resolving disputes, the CCWLI urged judicial restraint in matters of internal legislative discipline. The group called on the Senate to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, stressing that the long-term health of Nigeria’s democracy depends on clarity regarding the limits of judicial intervention in parliamentary processes.
The coalition also commented on the N5 million fine imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the court for violating a prior gag order, describing it as a “mild but symbolic rebuke.” They urged the senator to exercise greater restraint in her public conduct, stating, “Democracy is not a theatre for constant drama.”
The CCWLI announced plans to formally petition the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, copying all presiding officers, to demand a swift appeal. “Until a higher court says otherwise, the Senate must stand by its decision. That judgment should not be the last word,” Abdullahi declared.
Neither Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan nor the Senate leadership has issued an immediate response to the coalition’s demands. The development has sparked widespread debate about the balance between legislative autonomy and judicial oversight in Nigeria’s democratic system.
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