The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hajia Imaan Suleiman, on Friday, lamented the sexual harassment allegations in the Senate, calling it “unfortunate” just as she stressed the need to halt such incidents, especially at the National Assembly.
 
Consequently, the minister has pledged to engage with the Senate with a view to brokering peace and working towards an amicable resolution of the issues.
 
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate, noting that the action of the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate smacks of a desperation to cover up.
 
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has also faulted the Senate’s decision to suspend Natasha for six months, saying it an unconstitutional move that undermines democracy and legislative independence.
   
Suleiman spoke during a press briefing at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where she reacted to the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for alleged rules violations 
 
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, was sanctioned by the upper chamber, reducing the number of female senators to just three out of 109 members.
 
Recall that the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, earlier on Thursday, also spoke on the controversy trailing the Nigerian Senate, saying the chamber remains a “matured” institution that must be treated with respect.
 
Her remarks came on the heels of the allegations of sexual harassment against the President of the Senate, Goodwill Akpabio and abuse of power by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
 
The First Lady had also dismissed concerns over the Senate’s handling of the issues, insisting the lawmakers are “doing what is needful.”  Suleiman pledged to engage with the Senate immediately to broker peace and work towards an amicable resolution of the issue.
 
“It’s an unfortunate incident that should not happen. Just like you rightly said, in the last Assembly we had nine senators that are women. In this Assembly we have four. We don’t want to lose any member in the Senate or Houses of Assembly. We want to increase the numbers. It is unfortunate; we are going to be brokering peace.  
 
“We will engage all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy. I was at the Senate yesterday, where they marked theInternational Women’s Day, and the last thing the President of the Senate said was that “we are open to broker peace.”  
 
“So we are going to be the intermediary between the two parties to see that we broker peace.”  
    
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, observed that the hasty suspension of Natasha without an open investigation into the weighty allegation of sexual harassment against the Senate President not only negates the principle of fair hearing especially in parliamentary convention but also portrays the Senate as an institution that endorses, condones and offers protection to reprobacy.
 
“Also, the excessively harsh six months suspension on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan translates to denying the people of Kogi Central Senatorial Zone their Constitutional right of being represented in the Senate.
 
“It is scandalous, and amounts to gross abuse of office and violation of the fundamentals of justice and fair hearing for Senator Akpabio to sit as a judge in a matter in which he is the accused; a situation which validates public apprehension of a desperation by the embattled Senate President to suppress open legislative probe into the allegation of sexual harassment leveled against him,” the party said.
 
According to the PDP,  “if Senator Akpabio has nothing to hide, what Nigerians expected of him was to clear his name by stepping aside in line with established parliamentary practice, allow and submit to an open and unbiased investigation into the allegation of sexual harassment by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
 
On its part, CISLAC maintained that Natasha’s suspension directly violates the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and sets a dangerous precedent for legislative governance.
 
Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, in a statement on Friday, argued that 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.
 
Rafsanjani maintained that Section 68(1) and (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).
 
The CISLAC boss observed that Section 69 stipulates that the recall process is the only constitutional means for removing an elected legislator, making the Senate’s decision legally baseless.

He referenced key cases such as Hon. Dino Melaye v House of Representatives (2009), where the Federal High Court ruled that legislative chambers lack the authority to suspend elected members.
 
“In Ali Ndume v Senate President & Ors (2018), the Court of Appeal nullified the senator’s suspension, reinforcing the principle that lawmakers cannot be arbitrarily removed by their peers. Similarly, House of Assembly v Hon. Danna (2003) established that only the judiciary or the electorate have the power to remove an elected official. CISLAC accused the Senate of disregarding these precedents and eroding legislative independence by silencing dissenting voices,” Rafsanjani said.
 
The group also questioned the impartiality of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, in handling the matter.  It pointed out that Natasha’s suspension stems from her raising sexual harassment allegations against Akpabio.