The first Senator to be suspended was Senator Femi Okunrumu. He was suspended for accusing the senate of plotting to impeach President Obasanjo at the time.
The next Senator to be suspended was Joseph Waku for calling for military intervention in Nigeria because the conditions under Obasanjo were worse than those under the military. After Waku, Senator Arthur Nzeribe was next. He was suspended for accusing Pius Anyim Pius of stealing N25m belonging to the National Assembly.
None of these three cases went to court.
In the House, Dino Melaye and ten other members were suspended by the Dimeji Bankole led House for 6 months for accusing Speaker Bankole of corruption. They challenged their suspension in court and the court held that their suspension was illegal and unconstitutional. They were recalled and paid their allowances and salaries.
Meanwhile, in Bauchi state, the BSHA suspended its only female member, Rifkatu Danna for opposing the decision of the House to relocate the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area. She was suspended for 6 months and her allowances and salaries withheld. She challenged her suspension and the Bauchi State Hight Court nullified her suspension and declared it null and void. The Speaker appealed the decision and lost at the Appeal Court. The Appeal Court after declaring her suspension as illegal and unconstitutional, also stated clearly that they have no power to withhold her salaries and allowances because she was not an employee of the House as an elected member.
Back to the National Assembly.
It is important to note that between 2002- 2015 when real men were in charge of the National Assembly, no member was suspended and it wasn’t for lack of breaches of the rules, it was due principally to maturity.
In 2017, Ali Ndume, former majority leader of the senate was suspended for 6 months for accusing the president of the senate, Bukola Saraki, of corruption, and Dino Melaye, of certificate forgery. He was suspended for 6 months for bring the senate into disrepute. The court nullified his suspension and declared it unconstitutional. The court in doing so relied on the decision of the Court of Appeal in Rifkatu’s case.
After Ndume, the senate in clear violation of the existing court judgment suspended Senator Omo-Agege for accusing the senate of targeting President Buhari by the amendment sought to section 25 of the Electoral Act intended to reorder the sequence of elections. Again, the court quashed his suspension and declared that the senate lacked the power to suspend a senator for 6 months.
In the House, Jibrin Abdulmumini, was suspended for 6 months for accusing the Dogara led House of corruption. He challenged his suspension in the court and again, it was held that the House has no such power. He was recalled and his salaries and allowances paid.
In 2024, the Senate in complete disregard of the judgment of courts listed above suspended Senator Ningi from Bauchi for 3 months. He was accused of bringing the senate to disrepute by his allegations that the senate padded the 2024 budget by more than N3.7T. His lawyer, Femi Falana wrote to senate informing them of his brief to sue and demanded he be recalled. The senate buckled and recalled him. In 2025, the senate in total disregard to the cases and judgments above, suspended Senator Natasha for 6 months. The court declared that the senate has no such power, a decision consistent with the judgment of the Court of Appeal, and so deviants are saying the court didn’t order her recall. What does it mean for the court to say the senate has no power to suspend her and then advised them to do the right thing? If the senate has no power to suspend her, its action of suspending is void abnitio. No specific order is needed. But we live in a country that no matter her clear a judgment is, we will find gaps in order to disobey it.
Now talking about the reputation of the senate. Does senators know or understand that Nigerians rate them slightly above the Police? What reputation are they talking about, personal or institutional? The senate institutional reputation has been damaged for long by the actions of some of members of the senate for years. Some senators, past and present are in deep deficit reputationally and cannot claim to have acquired a better reputation by just being in the senate.
From 1789 up until now, no senator has been suspended in the USA not withstanding that Article 1 and section 5 of the constitution gives the senate the power to make rules for its business and discipline of its members. But 15 senators have been impeached for supporting insurgency against the country and for corruption. We copied our system from the USA.
All Senators are equall and elected by their constituents. It is an anomaly that a Senator should suspend another Senator no matter how highly placed. No one was elected a president of the senate by their people. Section 50(1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that senators shall elect from among themselves a president and deputy president of the senate. There is no mention of seniority and ranks in the Constitution. Natasha and Akpabio were both elected by their states. Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom have no power to suspend Natasha’s Kogi. Period.
The senate should recall Natasha immediately and stop disgracing itself. The impression is that someone is using the senate to fight his personal war. The senate belongs to Nigerians and not the senators. We will lose nothing if Natasha is allowed to resume. Those who see her resumption as a personal loss should bear it and allow the country move forward.
– Kurtis Adigba wrote from Lagos.
