Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Set to Resume Senate Duties After Six-Month Suspension

After serving her six-month suspension, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, is expected to officially return to plenary today (Tuesday) alongside other lawmakers.

The confirmation came from one of her lawyers, Victor Giwa, during an interview with newsmen, where he reaffirmed that the senator had completed her suspension and was constitutionally free to resume her legislative duties.

The Senate had earlier postponed its resumption from September 23 to October 7, 2025, extending its annual recess by two weeks and temporarily halting key legislative deliberations.

Giwa expressed confidence that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s reinstatement would proceed without interference. “Our client should go straight to the chamber and resume. Anything contrary is mere opinion. As Femi Falana said, the Senate cannot legalise illegality. The National Assembly is a creation of law, not the whims of its leadership” he said.

He warned that any attempt to block her return would contradict the Senate’s own resolution and create institutional disorder. “She has served her suspension. What remains before the court is whether her March suspension was valid. Preventing her return now would contradict your own decision and promote chaos” he added.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had earlier accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of dictatorship, maintained her defiance following the reopening of her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing two weeks ago. The office was unsealed by Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms.

Speaking after the reopening, the senator said she had “no apology to tender,” insisting that her ordeal had only strengthened her resolve. “It’s amazing how much we’ve endured in six months, from unjust suspension to blackmail. But we survived it all. No one is more Nigerian than us. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He is not the governor of this place, yet he treated me like a domestic staff. It’s unacceptable that our National Assembly is run by such a dictator” she stated.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, over alleged misconduct during her protest against the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio on February 20. Though her suspension expired in September, legal delays and Senate resistance hindered her immediate return.

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

With the National Assembly reconvening today, public attention is now fixed on the red chamber as Nigerians wait to see whether Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan will freely resume plenary or face another confrontation at the gates.