If I had the power to do so, I would name Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan the freedom fighter of the decade. She is an irrepressible combatant for her rights; she lives beyond intimidation as she has no fear; and above all, she is very conscious of her constitutional rights and ready to fight for them. The most recent episode was when her governor learnt that she was going home for the Sallah celebration with her constituents. He immediately banned public meetings and processions in her constituency, closed all roads leading into the State and barricaded access to the constituency. His concerns were easy to see. He is leading a campaign to recall her and her presence would have revealed the lie that half of her constituency had signed a petition to recall her. By now, virtually all Nigerians know the signatures were forged. She knew it and had to expose the lie. She checked the law; freedom of movement and association remain fundamental human rights in Nigeria that no governor could withdraw. She rented a helicopter and went and the entire country saw the massive and enthusiastic crowd that welcomed her home. Being intimidated is not her portion.
Almost the entire Senate considers her a loose cannon that is ready, willing and above all ABLE to challenge the autocracy and myogenic institution that the organ has become. It is no longer an organisation of peers as it has lost its collegiate nature. It is today a crass dictatorship run by a dictator that will not even allow “distinguished” members to vote as he interprets the voice vote he organises to be what he decides no matter how loud the nay or ayes voices are. The decision of INEC yesterday that even the forged signatures procured for her recall did not meet the 50 per cent + one requirement is another dagger at the heart of the Senate dictatorship.
It would be recalled that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the brave warrior, had accused Mr Akpabio, the Senate president, of sexual harassment but the upper Chamber had dismissed the allegations in a cavalier manner. Senator Akpoti reported the matter, along with her suspension from the Senate, to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a move that shocked and destabilised the Senate. After all, they know that the evidence is clear that the Nigerian Senate’s decision to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months is an unconstitutional move that undermines democracy and sets a dangerous precedent for legislative governance. The suspension of an elected senator contradicts Sections 68 and 69 of the 1999 Constitution, which clearly outline the lawful processes for a legislator to lose his or her seat. Section 68(1) & (2) states that a legislator’s seat can only be declared vacant under specific circumstances such as resignation, defection, conviction, or recall by constituents through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “Section 69 stipulates that the recall process is the only constitutional means for removing an elected legislator, making the Senate’s decision legally baseless. By suspending Senator Natasha, the Senate has effectively denied the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District their right to representation – an action that constitutes an abuse of power. Many judicial rulings have consistently declared legislative suspensions unlawful.
The suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate was designed to be punitive. Her salaries, allowances, and those of her legislative aides were halted. Her security details were withdrawn for the period while she was receiving death threats. She was even banned from going anywhere the national assembly building. She was then ordered to go on her knees and beg but has refused to do so and continues the struggle. She filed a contempt against Imasuen, the senate committee chair on ethics, privileges, and public petitions, and president Akpabio over her suspension. Before her suspension, the federal high court in Abuja had restrained the senate committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions from conducting disciplinary proceedings against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, gave the order following an ex parte application filed by counsels to the Kogi senator. But the senator was suspended 48 hours after.
One of the clearest signs of the crisis of democracy in Nigeria is that elected legislators and executives believe and act as if the own the people. They are rude and dismissive when addressing citizens and literally expect ordinary people to hold them in awe and respect. They have completely lost sight of the core principle of representative democracy that the citizens are the masters and the only mandate of elected officials is to do what pleases the citizen. Of course, what has created great power asymmetry in Nigeria is that our elected representatives are among the richest in the world, as they funnel resources from the public purse to their private pockets in a society that has become one of the poorest in the world. We cannot begin to address the problem of disrespect to citizens until we are able stop public office from being a permanent site of the looting of the national treasury.
One of the strengths of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is her commitment to building projects and distributing empowerment materials to her constituents. After just one year in Senate, the projects she launched in her constituency included: Construction of a one-kilometre road network at Abdul Azeez Memorial College in Okene; the reconstruction of the college, which now includes nine classroom blocks, four boarding houses, and 5,000 digital learning devices for students. Reconstruction of Ihima Police Station; a scholarship scheme through the Natasha Foundation has supported empowerment programmes have trained over 1,300 artisans in various fields, from renewable energy to catering, with start-up grants provided for all participants; water projects that have brought potable water to many communities, including a large solar-powered system that serves 300 locations with 1,800 water taps; lighting 30-kilometres of roads across Kogi Central to enhance safety.
If more Nigerians learn to defend their rights and freedoms, the lack of accountability that surrounds the exercise of power will begin to weaken. May we all learn to struggle for ourselves and our society.
A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahimis a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
