Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central on Tuesday resumed duties at the National Assembly after months of suspension, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of running the chamber like a “dictator.”
Her office, sealed since March 6, 2025, was officially reopened by the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, who declared in a brief video: “The office is hereby unsealed. Thank you.”
Addressing journalists, Akpoti-Uduaghan stood her ground, stressing that she had “no apology to tender” for her actions.
“In retrospect, it is amazing what we had to endure in the past six months, from unjust suspension to recall. But we survived blackmail, intimidation, and smear campaigns. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. It is unfortunate that the National Assembly is run by such a dictator,” she said.
The senator was suspended for six months in March following a heated protest over her reassignment to a new seat by Akpabio. Though the suspension formally lapsed in September, she remained barred due to legal tussles until a July 4 Federal High Court ruling declared her suspension “excessive and unconstitutional.”
Despite the court’s judgment, her attempts to resume were rebuffed by Senate leadership until Tuesday’s unsealing of her office. It remains unclear whether she will be permitted to sit in plenary when sessions resume on October 7.
Meanwhile, the Senate leadership has again shifted the resumption of plenary sittings. Originally scheduled for September 23, lawmakers will now reconvene on October 7, according to an internal memo signed by Chinedu Akubueze, Chief of Staff to the Senate President.
The latest extension of the annual recess has raised concerns as it further delays critical debates on government spending, executive appointments, and pending motions.
