A coalition of women’s organizations, led by the Purple Women Foundation, has announced a nationwide march scheduled for March 12, 2025, to protest the recent suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The groups are demanding her immediate reinstatement, asserting that her suspension undermined democratic principles and women’s representation in governance.
Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, was suspended by the Nigerian Senate for six months on March 6, 2025.
The suspension followed her public allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Senate has, however, denied that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension had anything to do with the sexual assault allegation, but was done as a “disciplinary action for her refusal to sit in her assigned seat, speaking without being recognized and making abusive remarks against the Senate leadership.”
Several groups, including the Purple Women Foundation, have condemned the suspension, describing it as a punitive measure aimed at silencing the senator.
They argue that the action undermines her fundamental rights and sets a troubling precedent for women in leadership.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan will be barred from her office and have her allowances and security withdrawn for six months, according to a recommendation by the Senate’s ethics committee.
In response, the Purple Women Foundation has organized the “National Women’s March” under the theme “Nigerian Women Rise Against Patriarchy (We Are All Natasha).”
The march aims to highlight issues of gender-based discrimination and advocate for women’s rights in Nigeria.
The nationwide march is planned across various states, including Benue, Delta, Edo, Kaduna, Enugu, and Oyo.
The coalition emphasizes the importance of peaceful demonstration while seeking to defend the rights of women in governance
