Suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has broken her silence regarding her controversial March 6 suspension from the Nigerian Senate, describing the action as a premeditated political move designed to silence her.
In a candid interview with Adeola Fayehun aired on YouTube on May 31, 2025, the lawmaker asserted that Senate President Godswill Akpabio violated parliamentary procedures in orchestrating her suspension.
“The impression being circulated is that I caused a scene over my seat. That is false,” Akpoti-Uduaghan stated. “I raised a matter of privilege under Chapter 4, Item 9b of the Senate Rules—a provision that demands immediate attention. But the Senate President cut me off, ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove me, and directed the Clerk to begin preparing my suspension letter. That wasn’t a reaction; it was a pre-written script.”
The senator alleged her suspension stemmed from refusing to comply with the Senate President’s undisclosed “demands,” which she characterized as an abuse of power.
“He has no authority to unilaterally suspend any senator on the floor. The way he handled it—like I was a staff member in his living room—was not only unlawful but also degrading,” she said. “My reaction was in response to a decision he had clearly already made.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan revealed the suspension came just 24 hours after she filed a formal petition against the Senate leadership, suggesting retaliatory motives.
“I believe my suspension was retaliatory. The ethics report they cited was merely a smokescreen. I had submitted allegations that shook the system, and the next day, I was silenced,” the senator disclosed.
