Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, over his failure to reverse the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression.

However, Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, condemned the ongoing political feud between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan, labelling it a distraction from the pressing economic hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.

While some politicians canvass the recall of the Kogi Central senator due to the feud, her constituents declared their unalloyed support for her, vowing that nothing could make them recall her.

The suspended senator is reportedly afraid of returning to Nigeria following her remarks at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), sources have revealed.

The rest of 107 senators were joined by SERAP in the suit, which no date has been fixed for its hearing.

The Senate recently suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, after she reportedly spoke without permission and refused her new seat in the red chamber. Her salary and allowances have also been withheld for the duration of the suspension, and she has been barred from identifying herself as a senator.

In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/498/2025 filed at the weekend, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus to direct and compel Akpabio to rescind the “unlawful suspension” of Akpoti-Uduaghan, reinstate her and fully restore all her legislative rights, entitlements and privileges. SERAP is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from further suspending or taking any disciplinary action against Akpoti-Uduaghan solely for the peaceful exercise of her fundamental human rights.

In the suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Mrs Adelanke Aremo, the organisation said no member of the Senate should suffer any for peacefully exercising their freedom of expression.

ADEYANJU made the remarks during a briefing in Abuja on Friday, where he criticised the Senate for prioritising personal disputes over urgent national issues.

He highlighted the silence of key senators, including Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan, during critical debates on policies that have exacerbated the cost-of-living crisis. He emphasised that both lawmakers had supported the Tinubu administration’s controversial decisions without offering meaningful opposition.

The activist further condemned the Senate’s lack of unified resistance to policies detrimental to the populace, pointing out that even opposition parties failed to effectively challenge the government. He cited the recent suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate Ethics Committee as an example of how internal squabbles overshadow national concerns.

He said: “The feud between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan is a mere distraction,” he stated. “While Nigerians are grappling with soaring electricity tariffs, increased taxes and the removal of fuel subsidies, the Senate is preoccupied with personal grievances.

“The Senate’s focus on personal disputes has diverted attention from critical matters, such as the tax reform bill and the economic struggles of businesses and citizens. This is unacceptable at a time Nigerians are in dire need of leadership .”

KOGI Central constituents under the aegis of Concerned Constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District declared that nothing could ever make them recall Akpoti-Uduaghan.

According to the Coordinator/Convener, AbdulRahaman Badamasiuy, described her representation so far as quality and warned against any attempt to illegally recall her by any group of individuals conspiring to work against the collective will of the constituents.

A letter signed by 70 constituents and made available to newsmen, yesterday, in Lokoja, described the suspension of the lawmaker from the Senate as illegal, stating that the constituents “are firmly with her in her pursuit of justice” and called on the Senate to immediately reverse her suspension.

The letter reads: “We, the Concerned Constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District, want the Nigerian Senate, fellow citizens of our country and the whole world to know that we are firmly standing with and fighting for justice alongside our daughter and duly elected Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on her illegal suspension from the Senate.

“She remains the one in whom we deposited our legitimacy as a senatorial constituency, and nobody or group of persons can unscrupulously violate our democratic and constitutional rights.”

ACCORDING to sources close to the senator, she fears arrest as soon as she arrives in the country.

On March 11, during an IPU session at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns about her suspension, claiming it was an attempt to silence her over her sexual harassment allegations. She also condemned what she described as an “unlawful suspension” from the Senate.

Her speech at the IPU followed the six-month suspension imposed on her by the Senate after it received a report from its Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions, chaired by Neda Imasuen.

Reports indicate that the embattled senator is under investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

A source close to Akpoti-Uduaghan revealed that she narrowly escaped arrest in New York due to the intervention of other parliamentarians and remains uncertain about what awaits her in Nigeria.