Senator Natasha Set to Return to Senate After Six-Month Suspension

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is set to make her way back to the National Assembly before the end of the month, as her six-month suspension has officially lapsed. Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, confirmed the development in Abuja.

According to him, the Kogi Central lawmaker, who has been on vacation in London, is already preparing to join her colleagues once plenary resumes on September 23.

“Actually, she’s ready to resume her term. She’s in London. Everything is in place, and the six months have expired. The only thing left is her resumption,” Giwa said.

He also expressed confidence that the Senate leadership would not stand in the way of her return. “We have been told that even the leadership of the Senate is ready to welcome her. So that’s the situation at the moment. There is no obstacle at all,” he assured.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 after refusing to accept a new seat allocation during plenary, a move that the Senate described as insubordination. Acting on the recommendations of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, the Senate stripped her of all entitlements, including salaries, aides, and office privileges.

The senator, however, insisted that the disciplinary action was politically motivated, linking it to her petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she accused of sexual harassment—a claim the Senate dismissed.

She went to court to challenge the suspension and secured a judgment in her favour, but the Senate leadership maintained that she would remain out of the chamber until the six-month period elapsed. In July, her attempt to re-enter the National Assembly was blocked by security operatives, despite a large crowd of supporters at the gates.

Now that her suspension ended last Saturday, Giwa maintained that legal issues would no longer pose a threat to her return. “Everything will be resolved. Even the court cases will become like an academic exercise,” he said.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Senate leadership were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu and the media aide to Senate President Akpabio went unanswered.