The Senator Natashq Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central, on Tuesday finally returned to the Senate after a six-month suspension following a clash with Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Her several attempts to return initially was stopped by the upper chamber.
She was spotted walking into the Senate chambers and exchanging pleasantries and banters with some senators.
Natasha was accompanied by some activists to the Senate, including Bring Back Our Girls campaigner Aisha Yesufu, among others.
But her supporters and lawyers were not allowed into plenary.
She was suspended in March over the alleged violation of the Senate’s standing rules, a decision that sparked mixed reactions.
After six months under lock and key, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office was finally unsealed on September 23, enabling her to return to her office.
The senator entered her office, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, after it was opened by the Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji.
“For me, I am glad to be here,” she said in her office for the first time in six months.
“Even though we had been illegally suspended, no day have I hesitated in effectively carrying out my duties as the senator of Kogi Central to the very best of my capacity,” she said.
Recall that the embattled then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, Akpoti-Uduaghan, was in March slammed with a six-month suspension by the Senate, which also barred her from participating in all activities of the 10th Senate over her alleged misconduct when she protested against the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio on February 20, 2025.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension ended in September 2025, but she has been unable to resume her duties due to ongoing legal issues and continued opposition from the Senate leadership. Perhaps because of the extended recess, we will see how it plays out as the Senate resumes plenary sessions.
Following her suspension, she took her case to the courts to vacate the suspension, as she was not successful, and the Senate, on its part, spoke through its relevant officers, insisting that the matter has nothing to do with sexual allegations, but everything to do with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s contravention of the Senate Standing Orders as amended.
Binta Nyako, Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in July, described the six-month suspension as excessive and unconstitutional, and thereafter ordered the Senate to recall the embattled Senator, citing that suspending a Senator for such a long period would expose constituents to non-representation during that time.
Thereafter, she made an attempt to return to the Senate, but was denied access, and the Senate stood its ground that she must serve her full term.
