Hon. Fatoumatta Njai, a Member of the National Assembly of The Gambia, has written to Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, urging the immediate reinstatement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Njai described the suspension of the Kogi lawmaker as “unlawful” and “a blatant affront to the rule of law.”
In a strongly worded letter dated September 9, 2025, and copied to all Nigerian senators, international institutions, and the diplomatic corps, Njai condemned the Senate’s refusal to comply with a Federal High Court judgment that voided Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension.
Justice B.F.M. Nyako had ruled on July 4, 2025, that the six-month suspension—equivalent to 180 sitting days—was unconstitutional, as it deprived a legislator of their constitutional duty under Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution.
Despite the ruling, Akpoti-Uduaghan was denied access to the chamber on July 22, and the Senate has since extended her suspension. Njai said this not only flouted the court’s judgment but also contravened the Senate’s own Standing Orders.
Read Also: Ghana leader takes victory lap to celebrate early economic gains
“The Senate should know that leadership is not about silencing voices, especially those who dare to speak truth with courage and integrity,” she wrote. “The fact that Senator Natasha’s only crime was to speak truth to power is a strong signal of the Senate’s move in silencing dissenting voices.”
Njai, who chairs the Gender and Children’s Welfare Committee in The Gambia’s Parliament and previously served in the ECOWAS Parliament, emphasised that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension undermines her constituents’ rights and threatens the broader struggle for women’s and youths’ political representation in Nigeria and across Africa.
Calling Nigeria “the parent nation within ECOWAS,” Njai urged Nigerian lawmakers to uphold democratic values by obeying the court’s judgment.
Her statement read in part:
“Today it is the distinguished Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan; tomorrow it could be me. I believe that after the six months of unlawful suspension, she must be reinstated with immediate effect. The Senate, as the legislative arm of the Federal Republic, should have been seen to respect the court’s judgment. Instead, it has blatantly refused to obey.”
She added that the Senate’s continued refusal to recall Akpoti-Uduaghan represented “a total affront to the rule of law,” stressing that under legal principles, a party must first comply with a court order before challenging it.
“Senator Natasha represents not only her constituents but also the hopes of millions of women and youth in Nigeria and the world at large. Her exclusion is a denial of the democratic principles that bind Nigeria as a nation,” Njai said.
Closing her letter, she urged the Senate leadership to restore Akpoti-Uduaghan’s seat immediately:
“The six months is over. As a woman in leadership, a woman that respects the rule of law and yearns for more women in elective positions, I firmly call on the immediate recall of the Senator. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
