Canada-based lawyer, Arinze Abiakam, has faulted the Senate for refusing to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to resume her seat after serving out her six-month suspension. Abiakam in a statement said the refusal has added a new twist to the controversy.

He said Nigerians had looked up to the Senate be a defender of the rule of law but their actions during the suspension saga had fallen far short of expectation.

He faulted the participation Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN, in the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions proceedings of March 5, 2025, which he said disregarded a subsisting court order in pursuit of a predetermined outcome. He expressed dismay that the proceedings were presided over by Senator Neda Imaseun.

“It is most unfortunate that such proceedings were given legitimacy by your participation and signature,” Abiakam said, adding that the incident had eroded the respect he once held for Adegbonmire.

The lawyer further condemned the Senate’s refusal to comply with a court ruling which declared Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension excessive, overreaching, and fully spent.