By Ghazali Ibrahim
The National Assembly has rejected Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s plan to resume legislative duties, insisting her six-month suspension remains in force until the Court of Appeal rules on her case against the Senate.
In a letter dated September 4, 2025, Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, acknowledged receiving Akpoti-Uduaghan’s notice of intent to resume on the date she claimed marked the end of her suspension.
However, the Senate maintained that the suspension, which began on March 6, 2025, is still in effect and that the matter remains sub judice.
“The matter remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate your resumption,” the letter read in part.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her lawyer Victor Giwa, had announced plans to return to plenary on September 23 when the Senate reconvenes, after spending time on vacation in London.
The Kogi Central senator was suspended in March over alleged insubordination for rejecting a change of her designated seat during plenary.
The sanction, based on a Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions recommendation, also stripped her of aides, office privileges, and salaries.
Akpoti-Uduaghan has repeatedly claimed her suspension was politically motivated and linked to her petition accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, an allegation the Senate has denied.
She challenged the suspension in court, securing a judgment she said supported her recall, but Senate leaders insist the penalty must run its full course.
In July, her attempt to re-enter the National Assembly ended in a confrontation, as security operatives blocked her entry despite a crowd of supporters rallying outside.
