PDP: Senate blocking Natasha threatens democracy

The Peoples Democratic Party has taken a swipe at the Senate for refusing to allow suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to return when lawmakers reconvene on September 23, describing the move as a calculated attempt to silence the opposition and a clear threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

In a September 4 letter, Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, told the Kogi Central lawmaker that her six-month suspension imposed in March “remains in force” until the Court of Appeal rules on her case against the Senate.

The development crushed Natasha’s hopes of resuming after serving out her penalty.

But the PDP reacted, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of abusing legislative powers to muzzle dissent.

“This attempt to use the National Assembly establishment against an elected senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in gross violation of the Constitution and the Standing Rules of the Senate is highly provocative and constitutes a clear and present danger to democracy,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said in a statement.

The party further linked the move to what it called Akpabio’s “history of harassment against women,” demanding that the Clerk withdraw the letter immediately and urging the international community and rights groups to intervene.

Natasha, suspended for alleged insubordination in March, has insisted the action was politically motivated after she petitioned Akpabio for sexual harassment—an allegation the Senate dismissed.

The opposition says the latest twist proves her claim, framing the battle as a test of whether Nigeria’s democracy can withstand what it calls “creeping totalitarianism”.