Falana to Senate: Court Rulings Prohibit Unlawful Lawmaker Suspensions, Natasha’s Suspension Must End

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has condemned the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), calling it “an extreme act of legislative recklessness.” He emphasized that the suspension disregarded a court order barring the Senate Ethics Committee from hearing the case and violated established judicial precedents prohibiting the unlawful suspension of lawmakers in Nigeria.

Falana demanded the immediate reversal of the suspension, stressing that the arbitrary removal of legislators at the discretion of legislative leaders must not persist. He referenced multiple rulings from the High Court and Court of Appeal that have consistently deemed such suspensions illegal.

Citing past cases, he recalled the 2010 suspension of Hon. Dino Melaye and 10 other lawmakers, which the Federal High Court ruled unconstitutional, ordering the restoration of their salaries and allowances. He also highlighted the case of Honourable Rifkatu Danna, who was unlawfully suspended in 2012 by the Bauchi State House of Assembly, only to be reinstated by the courts. Similarly, in 2018, the suspension of Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin for exposing budget padding was annulled by the Federal High Court.

Falana further noted that Senator Ali Ndume’s 2017 suspension by the Senate was overturned, as was Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s suspension in 2020. Other cases, including the suspension of lawmakers in Jigawa, Ondo, Kogi, and Edo State Assemblies, have all been declared illegal by various courts.

Most recently, in March 2024, Senator Abdul Ningi was suspended by the Senate for alleging budget padding. However, following legal pressure, the Senate reversed the suspension and paid his withheld salaries.

Falana insisted that, based on these legal precedents, Senator Natasha’s suspension is unlawful and must be lifted without delay.