BREAKING: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Resumes Legislative Duties After Six-Month Suspension

Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Tuesday officially resumed her legislative duties after being suspended from the Nigerian Senate for six months.

Her return followed the unsealing of her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing at the National Assembly by Deputy Director of the Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji. A video circulated online showed Adedeji removing the seal and formally declaring the office open.

Speaking after her resumption, Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained her defiant stance, stressing that she owed “no apology” for her actions.

“In retrospect, it is amazing how much we have endured over the past six months, from the unjust suspension to the recall. But we survived it all—blackmail, intimidation, and political attacks. I give God the glory and thank my people in Kogi Central and Nigerians who stood by me,” she said.

The senator also took aim at Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of running the Senate “like a dictatorship.” She insisted that all senators should be treated as equals, adding that she would continue to challenge what she described as “injustice and abuse of power.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, over alleged misconduct after she protested the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio. While the suspension officially lapsed in September, legal battles and resistance from Senate leadership prevented her immediate return.

On July 4, the Federal High Court in Abuja declared her suspension excessive and unconstitutional, paving the way for her eventual reinstatement.

It remains unclear, however, whether Tuesday’s development fully restores her privileges and if she will be allowed to sit in plenary when the Senate reconvenes on October 7.

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