Again, the National Assembly is in the news for the wrong reasons. Last week, the Senate wrote the suspended senator representing the Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, informing her not to resume her legislative duties despite the expiration of the six-month suspension slammed on her in March.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended after a heated clash with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seating arrangements during plenary.
In a letter dated August 28, the lawmaker had notified the Clerk of the National Assembly of her intention to resume on September 4, which, according to her, marked the end of her suspension.
But the acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Yahaya Danzaria, rejected the senator’s request.
He said her six-month suspension remains in force pending the outcome of the appeal she instituted against the Senate at the Court of Appeal. The clerk argued that no administrative action can be taken until the Court of Appeal delivers a verdict, stressing that the matter is still subjudice.
Many analysts believe that with the expiration of her six months suspension, there is no reason why the Senate should not allow the senator to resume.
The clerk’s strange argument is like President Bola Tinubu insisting that the suspended governor of Rivers State, Mr. Sim Fubara will not be recalled from suspension at the expiration of six-month until the Supreme Court delivers judgment in the suit filed by some governors challenging his suspension by Tinubu. Or that a man sentenced to prison for six months must remain in prison because his appeal process is pending even when he serves out the six months? The prisons authority will refuse to let the prisoner go, and by implication, elongate the prison term by itself?
Preventing the senator from resuming would not only be the height of personal vendetta, it would also be vindictive, diabolic, totalitarian, and highly provocative.
It also constitutes a clear and present danger to democracy.
Many analysts blame Justice Binta Nyako who in July delivered a complicated judgment in the dispute which the upper legislative chamber is taking advantage of.
Even when she described the six-month suspension as “excessive,” she failed to make a declarative order for her immediate recall.
For the National Assembly not to further embarrass Nigeria’s democracy, everybody of goodwill, CSOs, the Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice and President Bola Tinubu should prevail on it to stop the nonsense.
