Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has resumed her duties at the National Assembly following months of suspension and a protracted standoff with Senate leadership.
On Tuesday, her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing was officially reopened by the Deputy Director of the Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji. In a video, Adedeji declared, “I, Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, hereby unseal the office. The office is hereby unsealed. Thank you.”
Speaking after her return, Akpoti-Uduaghan maintained her defiance, saying she has “no apology to tender.”
She said, “In retrospect, it is actually amazing how much we have had to pay in the past six months, from the unjust suspension to the recall. But we survived the recall, blackmail, and that crazy lady on Facebook.
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“It is amazing what we had to pass through, and I give God Almighty the glory and my deepest appreciation to the people of Kogi Central and Nigerians at large. To my husband, I love you dearly. I pray all men support their wives in the same manner you have supported me.
“In everything, sometimes it is good to push the institution to the test. We can’t cower down in the face of injustice. No one is more Nigerian than us. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He is not the governor of this place, yet he treated me as if I were a servant or domestic staff in his house.
“It is so unfortunate that we will have a National Assembly being run by such a dictator. It is totally unacceptable.”
Her office had been sealed since March 6, 2025, following her suspension over alleged misconduct during a protest against her seat reassignment by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Although the six-month suspension formally ended in September, legal disputes and resistance from Senate leadership delayed her return. On July 4, however, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the suspension was unlawful and excessive.
Despite the court’s judgment, her request to resume duties had initially been turned down by the National Assembly. It remains uncertain whether her reinstatement includes full privileges and whether she will sit with her colleagues when plenary reconvenes on October 7.
