After serving her six-month suspension, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, is set to officially resume plenary duties as the National Assembly reconvenes today (Tuesday).
Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, confirmed the development in an interview , stressing that the lawmaker had completed her suspension and was constitutionally entitled to resume legislative activities. The Senate had earlier extended its annual recess from September 23 to October 7, delaying discussions on key national issues.
Giwa warned the Senate against any attempt to block Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return, describing such a move as illegal and a violation of its own resolution. “Our client should just go straight and resume on Tuesday. Anything else they say is just an opinion. The Senate cannot become an institution that legalises illegality,” he said.
He argued that preventing her from resuming would “plunge the legislature into chaos,” adding that the ongoing court case would only determine whether her suspension in March was valid, not her right to return.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, was reopened two weeks ago by the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, marking the first step toward her reinstatement.
The senator, however, maintained a defiant stance upon her return, saying she had “no apology to tender.” She accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of running the Red Chamber like a dictatorship. “Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He treated me as if I were a servant in his house. It’s totally unacceptable,” she said.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, following a protest against the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio on February 20. Her suspension, which formally ended in September, was prolonged by legal disputes and alleged resistance from Senate leadership.
As the National Assembly resumes today, attention is focused on the Senate chamber to see whether Akpoti-Uduaghan will be allowed to take her seat or face further obstruction. Attempts to reach Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu and the media aide to the Senate President for comments were unsuccessful as of press time.
