Natasha resumes plenary after expiration of six-month suspension
Embattled Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, resumed plenary on Tuesday with other Senators, following the expiration of a six-month suspension handed to her by the Senate over alleged violation of the Senate’s standing rules.
The Senator was said to have walked into the Senate chambers, and after taking her seat, exchanged pleasantries with a few senators.
The plenary which was presided over by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, saw a significant turnout of senators who had been on a 10-week recess.
Akpabio urged lawmakers to recommit themselves to accountability, discipline and purposeful governance.
“To the citizens of Nigeria, we hear you. You asked us not for excuses, but for results. We will remain accountable and responsive,” the Senate President said while reaffirming the Senate’s accountability to Nigerians.
Several attempts by Akpoti-Uduaghan to return initially had been stopped by the Senate, as her suspension in March over alleged violation of the Senate’s standing rules was still in place, according to the red chamber.
The Senate seemed to have ignored a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja which said that the Senate’s action in respect to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was excessive and amounted to a violation of the rights of her constituents to representation. The verdict was termed a “declaratory judgement” by the Senate Clerk.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyer had called on the Senate to act immediately in compliance with the court ruling to enable the Senator resume her role without further delay. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had also notified the red chamber of her intention to resume legislative activities on Tuesday July 15.
The National Assembly however, disagreed with the interpretation of the judgement by the suspended Senator’s attorney, and in response, wrote through the Clerk to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s legal counsel, that “There was no order made on the 4th of July, 2025, by Hon Justice B.F.N. Nyako to the Senate, President of the Senate or National Assembly to comply with”.
In her attempt to resume legislative duties on Tuesday July 22, following the court judgement, Akpoti-Uduaghan was barred from accessing the main building by armed security personnel at the National Assembly.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension had been condemned by civil society organisations and opposition leaders. The Senate however stuck to its guns, defending its decision.
The suspension, according to some reports, has been attributed to an underlying socio-political strife between her and the Senate President, though the Senate has stated that her suspension was as a result of her violation of the chamber’s standing rules.
With the expiration of her six months suspension, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office was unsealed on September 23, by the Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly, enabling her return.
Tuesday’s plenary would be her first sitting since her return, as the Senate had been on a 10-week recess.
