SERAP sues Akpabio for failing to lift ‘Unlawful Suspension’ of senator Natasha
Story from Hamzat Ibrahim
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The organisation argues that her suspension is unlawful and violates her right to freedom of expression.
Mr Akpabio is being sued on behalf of all members of the Senate. The Senate had suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, citing her decision to speak without permission and her refusal to accept a reassigned seat in the chamber.
During this period, her salary and allowances have been withheld, and she has been barred from identifying herself as a senator.
The lawsuit, filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja and numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/498/2025, seeks “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to rescind the unlawful suspension of Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, reinstate her, and fully restore all her legislative rights, entitlements, and privileges.”
SERAP is also asking the court for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from further suspending or taking any disciplinary action against Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan solely for the peaceful exercise of her fundamental human rights.”
Additionally, the organisation wants a declaration that sections 6(1)(2) of the Senate Rules and the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) violate her human rights and deprive her constituents of political participation.
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In its suit, SERAP maintains that “granting this application would serve the public interest and promote respect for the rights of everyone in the National Assembly.” It further asserts, “No one should ever be punished for ‘speaking without permission’.
Being a senator does not deprive Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan of her fundamental human rights. The Senate should be setting an example by upholding the rule of law and promoting and protecting human rights, not stamping them out.”
The group describes the suspension as “unlawful, unnecessary and disproportionate,” arguing that it would have a chilling effect on other senators’ ability to express themselves freely. “Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension is based solely on the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression in the Senate.
All the other grounds cited by the Senate for her suspension seem to be a pretext to further restrict her fundamental human rights,” SERAP stated.
Filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Adelanke Aremo, the suit also emphasises that “no member of the Senate should suffer any consequences for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression.”
The group argues that her suspension has severely restricted the ability of her constituents in Kogi Central Senatorial District to participate in governance.
SERAP cites multiple legal provisions, including the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which affirm the right to political participation and freedom of speech.
It also references the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that any restrictions on expression must not jeopardise the right itself.
According to SERAP, “The Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) should not and cannot set aside Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to express herself and disseminate her opinions, which is clearly guaranteed in section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and under the human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party.”
No date has been set for the hearing of the case.
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