Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Kogi Central, has been removed as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations. The move sanctioned by Senate President Godswill Akpabio comes just days after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Senate to reinstate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended earlier this year.
The embattled senator had previously served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content but was replaced in February. She was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee shortly after, a position she has now lost.
Senator Aniekan Bassey, representing Akwa Ibom North East, has been named as her replacement, effectively leaving Akpoti-Uduaghan without any committee leadership role as she resumes legislative duties. Akpabio, during the plenary session on Thursday, also hinted at a broader reshuffling of committee positions, stating that a review of vice chairmanships would be undertaken in the coming week to ensure a more equitable distribution.
“We will make some changes to our vice chairmanship positions next week. Some of the senators have two vice chairmanship positions. Every senator should either be a chairman or a vice chairman so we balance the situation,” he said. The development trails last week’s ruling by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, who declared Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension “excessive” and ordered her immediate recall.
Delivering judgment in Abuja, Justice Nyako criticised the Senate’s reliance on Chapter 8 of its Standing Rules and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, describing the provisions as vague and overreaching.
The court held that, since lawmakers have a total of 181 days to sit in every legislative cycle, the six-month suspension handed to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was akin to removing her from her responsibilities to her constituents for approximately 180 days.
While affirming the Senate’s authority to discipline erring members, the court ruled that such sanctions must be proportional and not infringe on the constitutional rights of constituents.