Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan challenges Senate President Akpabio, labels her suspension fraudulent, and vows to seek an appellate court interpretation.
Abuja – July 22, 2025 — In a dramatic twist at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was denied entry into the complex by security operatives despite a court ruling in her favor. The embattled lawmaker, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, arrived at the National Assembly on foot, undeterred by a heavy security blockade and pouring rain, accompanied by a crowd of supporters and prominent activist Aisha Yesufu.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the confrontation, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan decried her suspension as unjust, procedurally flawed, and fundamentally fraudulent.
“Even the suspension, ab initio, was fraudulent. The document that recommended my suspension wasn’t attested to by the committee members. It was merely a photocopy of an attendance sheet passed off as their signatures,” she alleged.
The senator maintained that her suspension had been nullified by a Federal High Court judgment, stressing that there was no legal basis for denying her access to the legislative chamber.
“There’s no reason whatsoever, contrary to the publications I read yesterday, that I should not resume today. The Senate only appealed the contempt aspect of the ruling, not the suspension judgment itself,” she clarified.
Akpoti-Uduaghan further explained that the court's contempt ruling stemmed from a satirical apology she posted on Facebook, which the presiding judge interpreted as contemptuous. However, she insisted that her post had no bearing on the suspension case and was being misrepresented.
Despite the standoff, the senator expressed awareness of the Senate's impending two-month recess starting Wednesday, which she claims could effectively allow the upper chamber to sideline her until the suspension’s full term is served.
“If I walk away now, it would mean the Senate has succeeded in sidelining me until the last week of September, effectively completing a six-month suspension under the guise of legal appeal,” she said.
She vowed to take the matter to an appellate court to clarify the legal impasse and challenge what she described as the Senate President’s unlawful actions.
This confrontation marks a significant escalation in the standoff between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership, raising pressing questions about legislative accountability, due process, and the independence of Nigeria’s judiciary.
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