By Emeka Alex Duru
Those that snigger that Nigeria’s politics is never short of drama, may not be wrong. Even when the theatricals tilt to the absurd, they are never limited in supply. I had in this space, on Friday, March 28, 2025, recalled a disturbing experience of governorship candidate of one of the smaller political parties in Akwa Ibom state, during the 2011 general elections.
The candidate had narrated that on the day of the election, he was accompanied to the poll by his wife, mother, and other supporters, where he voted for himself and was at least, sure that his wife and mother did same. But at the end of the exercise, he was scored zero in the polling unit. His shock was that even if his wife, mother and supporters did not vote for him, he was sure that he voted for himself. How then was he scored zero? That question was not resolved. That was part of the shenanigans in our electoral system.
But the most current in the awful series is the disgraceful drama involving the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on one hand, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the entire chambers on the other hand. It all commenced in March when Senator Natasha was suspended by her colleagues for six months over what was termed violation of Senate rules after a seat arrangement argument with Senate President, whom she accused of sexual misconduct—an allegation Akpabio denied.
Armed with the orders of Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, which held that her six-month suspension violated Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution, which mandated senators to participate in legislative sittings for a minimum number of days annually, Senator Natasha made an attempt to resume Senate proceedings on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, but was stopped from accessing the chamber by security personnel who claimed to be acting on order from above. In explaining the action, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, argued that even if there was a court judgment, the enforcement must follow due process.
The insistence on the so-called due process was what turned the National Assembly Complex into a theatre of confusion. The nearest to Tuesday’s demonstration of shame was in November 2014 when members of the House of Representatives scaled the fence to enter the National Assembly to abort a plot to impeach the then Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, who later became Sokoto State governor and Senator. The lawmakers on that occasion rose against the Executive arm of the government which felt humiliated at the emergence of Tambuwal as Speaker and worked to undo it. That could be seen as lawmakers defending the integrity and independence of the legislature.
But what has been playing out in the Akpabio-Natasha debacle does not in any way, approximate to protecting the legislature. It is rather, mockery to rule of law- the very essence of democracy! Democracy is about robust interplay of ideas for good governance and development. In democracy, plurality of views matters; those with opposing ideas and tendencies are accommodated and harnessed to move the system ahead. Democracy does not guarantee perfection or even good governance but allows the people air their views, within the context of the laws. At no point are these tenets of the system more elaborate as in the legislature.
Under the military or monarchy, the executive exists. So also does the judiciary in whatever guise. A system can only be said to be practicing democracy when its legislature is present and alive to its responsibilities, hence the legislators are seen as true representatives of the people. It is not for nothing that Section 47 of the Constitution prescribes that “there shall be a National Assembly for the Federation which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives”. The National Assembly is constitutionally vested with several functions, prominent among which are lawmaking, representation, appropriation, among others. Its powers also include ratifying treaties, investigating the executive branch, impeaching and removing from office members of the executive and judiciary, and redressing constituents’ grievances.
The weight of responsibilities on the legislature, is thus, much. The problem, however, is that the legislature in Nigeria does not understand its role, nor the power it commands in putting the country on sound footing. That explains what is playing out in the ignominious Akpabio-Natasha affair. That members of the upper lawmaking chambers would choose to embark on this naked dance of shame at a time the nation is passing through severe economic crisis, choking security challenges manifested in terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and sundry crimes, says much on the quality and character of people presiding over the affairs of over 200 million Nigerians. There must be an end to this shame.
It is unfortunate and highly disappointing that Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, who made name in infrastructure rebirth in his days as Akwa Ibom state governor, is yielding to the wrong advice from jobbers around him in handling the Natasha debacle. What would it cost him and those clowning around him in the Senate, to swallow their pride and allow their colleague, elected as they were – not appointed – to take back her seat and resume her legislative duties? Where would all these unnecessary muscle-flexing lead the country to?
What points is Akpabio trying to prove; that he must have his way? Does he ever reflect on the full meaning of his name, “Godswill” and his being the Senate President, today? Is his tough-guy stance on the Natasha matter, what God wills for him? It is unfortunate that he is not learning from recent developments that trailed the death of the former President, Muhammadu Buhari. While Buhari was being mocked and vilified in death, where were those jesters who clapped for him while he visited untold hardship on Nigerians? Is it not ironical that some of those individuals and groups that Buhari felt he had held down and subdued, eventually survived him and lived to tell their stories?
Any person around the Senate President that has his ears and genuinely means well for him should tell him that it is high time he dismounted from his high horse on this Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan issue. What he is doing finds fitting in the analogy of a man fighting with his wife. Even if the man pummels the woman, the whole world will write him off as a coward who only derives strength in beating a woman. If the woman overpowers him, he will be derided as a weakling. Head or tail, the man is the loser. That is what is happening to Akpabio, in case he does not know. He may eventually have his way in the judiciary; he can even succeed in blocking the already stressed Natasha from resuming in the Senate. But in the court of public opinion, he is the fatal loser. And history will not be fair to him, after all.
DURU is the Editor, TheNiche Online Newspapers, Lagos. (08054103327, nwaukpala@yahoo.com)