After six months of suspension, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has officially resumed legislative duties at the National Assembly as plenary sessions reconvened on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
According to The PUNCH, her legal representative, Victor Giwa, confirmed the development, emphasizing that the senator has fulfilled her suspension term and is legally entitled to return to the red chamber.
“Our client should just go straight and resume on Tuesday. Anything else is merely an opinion,” Giwa said.
“As Femi Falana stated, the Senate cannot operate as an institution that legalises illegality. The National Assembly is a creation of law, and its actions must align with the law, not the whims of any individual.”
He cautioned that any attempt to block the senator’s return would contradict the Senate’s earlier resolution and “plunge the legislature into total chaos.”
“She has served the six months; whatever remains in court now is only to determine whether her suspension in March was valid. It has nothing to do with her right to resume. Denying her that would amount to fanning chaos, and the National Assembly must not be seen promoting such,” he added.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had previously described Senate President Godswill Akpabio as a “dictator,” maintained her stance upon returning to her office in Suite 2.05, which had been locked since her suspension on March 6, 2025.
Speaking to journalists, she said, “It’s amazing what we’ve had to endure in the past six months—from the unjust suspension to the recall and blackmail. But we survived it all. Sometimes, institutions must be tested. We cannot cower in the face of injustice. No one is more Nigerian than the other. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am.”
She continued, “He is not the governor of this place, yet he treated me like domestic staff in his house. It is unfortunate that the National Assembly is being run by such dictatorial tendencies. It’s totally unacceptable.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, which stemmed from a confrontation with the Senate leadership over the reassignment of her seat in February, lapsed in September.
However, her return was delayed due to ongoing legal disputes and resistance from some members of the Senate leadership.
Efforts to reach Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu and the media aide to Senate President Akpabio for comments were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.
