A coalition of over 1,000 women-led civil society organisations has called on the Nigerian Senate to appeal the Federal High Court judgment reinstating Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing the ruling as a “serious threat” to legislative discipline and institutional integrity.

The Coalition of Concerned Women for Legislative Integrity (CCWLI) issued the statement in Abuja on Monday, warning that the court’s decision, which voided Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension from the Senate, risks setting a dangerous precedent.

The group’s national president, Nana Amina Abdullahi, called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate leadership to file a swift appeal, saying the legislature must not “surrender its disciplinary authority to populist sentiment or judicial overreach.”

Last week, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the immediate reinstatement of Akpoti-Uduaghan, ruling that the Senate had no constitutional power to impose a suspension so lengthy that it effectively silenced her constituents in Kogi Central.

But the CCWLI pushed back strongly, insisting the Senate acted within its constitutional remit.

“The people of Kogi Central were not suspended, their representative was,” the group said. “And they deserve better than a lawmaker whose interventions often descend into provocation rather than policy.”

The group accused Akpoti-Uduaghan of exhibiting a pattern of disregard for Senate rules and described her suspension as “a proportionate response to her conduct.”

While acknowledging the role of the judiciary in upholding rights, the coalition argued that matters of internal parliamentary discipline should be approached with judicial restraint.

“Any attempt to back down now would amount to surrendering the Senate’s constitutional authority to discipline its members. We urge the Senate to challenge the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court.”

Abdullahi also criticised what she called the “weaponisation of feminism” to shield misconduct.

“If a male senator had acted in the same way, the punishment would have been upheld without debate. Democracy must not be reduced to selective outrage or performance politics,” she said.

In addition to seeking an appeal, the coalition said it would formally petition the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, copying all presiding officers to press for a review of the court decision.

The group also took a swipe at the ₦5 million fine imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the court for violating a gag order, calling it “a mild but symbolic rebuke.”

“We hope she pays the fine and reflects on the responsibilities that come with the office she holds. Democracy is not theatre,” the group said.