Saving the Senate – Businessday NG
The Nigerian Senate, an important pillar of democracy, stands at a crossroads. The continued disaster culminating within the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan isn’t just about her or Senate President Godswill Akpabio—it’s in regards to the integrity of the Senate itself. The Senate is more and more being perceived as a self-serving establishment that provides no worth to the lifetime of the common Nigerian. The arc of public opinion on the Senate has reached an all-time low. Regardless of the divide on this matter, the widespread floor is that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s saga is a dent on the status and stature of the Nigerian Senate.
It’s crucial that lawmakers recognise the harm a reputational disaster might do and take speedy steps to revive the sanctity of this establishment.
As a former legislator, I perceive the function of a presiding officer in allocating and reassigning seats primarily based on legislative custom. On this rely, Senator Natasha Akpoti overreached herself and will have classes in composure and understanding guidelines. On the difficulty of her suspension for six months, the Akpabio-led Senate danced to the unsuitable tune and ended up shedding the deal. I concede to the Senate its proper to make use of its duly constituted committees to make sure self-discipline. Nonetheless, Natasha’s rights of honest listening to should be balanced towards the entitlement of the Senate to order and self-discipline.
Resulting from legislative breaks, weekends, and recesses, she might be out of the chamber for nearly a yr, though suspended for six months, leaving the folks of Kogi Central with out illustration. This not solely undermines the democratic rights of the folks but in addition hampers their skill to handle native points and issues. In keeping with the Nationwide Meeting web site, every senator represents a mean of 1.5 to 2 million Nigerians. Which means that tens of millions of residents successfully haven’t any illustration.
The best way the Senate has dealt with the difficulty of sexual harassment allegations towards its president raises critical issues. Such allegations should be taken critically and appropriately investigated, but the Senate seems extra targeted on silencing the accuser than addressing the claims. A 2021 report by the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics signifies that 30 p.c of Nigerian ladies have skilled sexual harassment in workplaces and establishments. Ignoring such an accusation on the highest degree of governance units a harmful precedent.
The best way the sexual harassment allegations have been dealt with suggests an establishment that doesn’t take its ethical standing and status critically. The establishment’s strategy to this difficulty exhibits a troubling disregard for equity and transparency.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended and not using a honest listening to. She didn’t seem earlier than the ethics committee due to a subsisting court docket order. This matter was already in court docket. The Senate ought to have revered the judicial course of as a substitute of preempting its consequence. Acknowledged, the Legislative Homes (Powers and Privileges) Act 2018 outlaws the courts interfering in inner legislative processes; the Senate should strategy the court docket and do the precise factor. Whereas some argue that legislative issues are past judicial interference, precedent exhibits in any other case.
Learn additionally: Akpabio vs. Akpoti-Uduaghan: A test of Senate’s integrity and morality
The Supreme Court docket had beforehand halted legislative processes throughout a constitutional modification, proving that the judiciary has a job in making certain constitutional compliance. Previous rulings have proven that the courts can intervene in legislative issues, but the Senate proceeded with out regard for judicial authority. In keeping with a 2018 report by the Centre for Democracy and Improvement, Nigeria has a historical past of govt, legislative, and judicial overreach and rascality that has considerably weakened public belief in governance.
This saga takes us again to the constitutional query: does any legislative home below our present structure have the facility to droop an elected member for any period with out going towards the spirit and letter of our structure? It’s evident that the Senate lacks the constitutional authority to droop a senator for six months. As earlier court docket rulings have reaffirmed, the Senate’s inner guidelines can’t override constitutional provisions.
In 2017, the Federal Excessive Court docket dominated that the suspension of Senator Ali Ndume for 90 days was unconstitutional. The court docket ordered his reinstatement and the fee of all excellent salaries. In 2018, the Federal Excessive Court docket additionally nullified the suspension of Senator Omo-Agege, ruling that the Senate couldn’t droop a member past 14 days. These precedents present that the Senate’s resolution to droop Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months is unconstitutional and can possible be overturned if challenged in court docket.
It’s unacceptable that Senate President Akpabio, who’s accused of sexual harassment, presided over the suspension of his accuser. It is a basic violation of authorized ethics—nobody ought to be a decide in their very own case. Senator Akpabio ought to have recused himself to make sure equity. There’s a precedent on this regard: Senator Bukola Saraki, in the course of the eighth Senate, was accused of nonpayment of customs obligation on a bulletproof official automotive he imported. SP Bukola Saraki stepped apart and allowed his deputy to preside over his investigation. Senator Akpabio was within the Senate on the time and will have taken a cue.
One wonders how the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions instantly turns into so environment friendly and quick in shelling out punishment to Senator Natasha on this case when it often is sluggish in coping with the various petitions and instances earlier than it. This smacks of a hatchet job, and it doesn’t assist the general public standing of the Senate.
The suspension of a senator with out due course of creates a harmful precedent. If allowed to face, this resolution might pave the way in which for additional suppression of dissenting voices, weakening democracy in Nigeria.
The Nigerian folks deserve a legislative physique that upholds justice, equity, and transparency, not one which operates in secrecy and impunity. The way forward for Nigerian democracy is determined by it.
