Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Resumes at Senate After Six-Month Suspension

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has officially resumed plenary sessions at the National Assembly today (Tuesday) after completing her six-month suspension.

Her counsel, Victor Giwa, confirmed her resumption in an interview with The PUNCH, stressing that the lawmaker has fully served her suspension and is constitutionally entitled to return to legislative duties.

The Senate, which had earlier postponed its resumption from September 23 to October 7, 2025, extended its annual recess by two weeks, delaying deliberations on key national issues.

According to Giwa, any attempt to prevent Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming would be unlawful and a direct contradiction of the Senate’s earlier resolution.

“Our client should just go straight and resume on Tuesday. Anything else is mere opinion. As Femi Falana said, the Senate cannot become an institution that legalises illegality,” Giwa stated.

“She has served out the six months, so any ongoing case in court now only concerns whether her suspension in March was valid. Blocking her from resuming will only plunge the Senate into chaos.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, was recently unsealed by the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, marking her official reinstatement.

Upon her return, the senator maintained her defiant stance, saying she had “no apology to tender” over the events that led to her suspension.

“It’s amazing how much we’ve endured over the past six months—from the unjust suspension to the recall. But we survived the blackmail and intimidation,” she said.

“Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He’s not the governor of this place, yet he treated me like domestic staff. It’s unfortunate to have a National Assembly run by a dictator. That’s totally unacceptable.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, over alleged misconduct following her protest against the reassignment of her seat by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Despite the suspension officially ending in September, her return was delayed due to legal battles and leadership resistance.

Efforts to reach Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu and Akpabio’s media aide for comments were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.

As plenary resumes today, all eyes are on the red chamber to see if the Kogi Central senator will be fully reinstated—or face fresh hurdles in her long-running face-off with the Senate leadership.