Senate has blocked Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming office despite six-month suspension expiry.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Senate has confirmed that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central cannot resume her duties, even after completing a six-month suspension.
In a letter dated September 4, 2025, Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, acknowledged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s notification of her intended return. However, the Senate stated that her suspension remains in effect pending the outcome of a Court of Appeal case she filed against the upper chamber.
“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. The Senate added that it would only review her suspension after the Court of Appeal delivers its verdict.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was originally suspended on March 6, 2025, following allegations of insubordination after rejecting a change of her designated seat during plenary. The suspension, recommended by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, also stripped her of aides, office privileges, and salaries.
The lawmaker has maintained that her suspension is linked to a petition she filed accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, a claim the Senate dismissed. She later challenged the suspension in court and claimed a judgment in her favor, but her attempt to return in July 2025 was blocked by security, despite support from a crowd of her backers outside the National Assembly.
The standoff leaves Akpoti-Uduaghan’s resumption uncertain, as the Senate awaits a judicial pronouncement to determine the next steps.