Natasha Returns To Senate After Six-Month Suspension.

Natasha.

After completing a six-month suspension, the Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is expected to formally return to plenary alongside her colleagues today (Tuesday).

This confirmation was provided by one of her legal representatives, Victor Giwa, during an interview with the media.

Previously, the upper legislative chamber had postponed its resumption from September 23 to October 7, 2025, thereby extending its annual break by two weeks and delaying discussions on a number of pressing national issues.

Her legal team has issued a warning to the Senate against any attempt to prevent her entry into the chamber, asserting that the Kogi Central senator has already served her suspension and is legally entitled to resume her legislative responsibilities.

Giwa expressed confidence, saying he believed “the worst is over.”

He stated, “To me, our client should just go straight and resume on Tuesday. Anything else they say is just an opinion. As Femi Falana said, the Senate cannot become an institution that legalises illegality.

“You cannot muscle up the National Assembly to be at the dictates of a few persons. The National Assembly is a creation of law, and its actions must be determined by law, not by the whims of the leadership.”

He noted that preventing her from returning would contradict the Senate’s own decision and lead to “total chaos” within the legislative arm.

“She has served out the six months, so whatever is going to be in court right now is only to determine whether your action in March was validly made.

It has nothing to do with her resumption.

“If you deny her the chance to resume, it means that you are even going against your own resolution and the reason you suspended her for six months in the first place.

“That is total chaos you are fanning, and the National Assembly cannot be seen promoting such,” he cautioned.

Akpoti-Uduaghan previously referred to Senate President Godswill Akpabio as a “dictator” after she was allowed back into her office two weeks ago, following the end of her suspension.

Her return came after her office, located at Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, was reopened by Alabi Adedeji, the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms.

Upon returning, the senator, who had been under suspension, stood her ground, declaring that she had “no apology to tender.”

She stated, “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.

“In everything, sometimes it is good to push the institution to the test. We can’t cower 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 off since March 6, 2025, the day she was suspended from the Red Chamber.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who has been at loggerheads with the Senate leadership, maintained her firm stance, reiterating that she had “no apology to tender.”

She was suspended in March for six months, during which she was barred from participating in any activity of the 10th Senate. The suspension followed her protest against Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s reassignment of her seat on February 20.

Although her suspension officially ended in September, she was unable to return due to legal disputes and pushback from Senate leadership.

Attempts to reach Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu and the media aide to the Senate President for their comments were unsuccessful, as neither calls nor messages were answered.

As the National Assembly resumes today after an extended recess, attention has shifted to the Red Chamber as the public awaits whether Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan will be allowed to return to plenary—or be turned away at the entrance.