Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, on Tuesday resumed duties at the National Assembly after months of suspension, openly describing Senate President Godswill Akpabio as a “dictator.”
Her return followed the unsealing of her office at Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing by Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms.
In a defiant tone, Akpoti-Uduaghan declared that she had “no apology to tender” despite her suspension.
Reflecting on her ordeal, she said:
“It is amazing what we had to pass through in the past six months—from the unjust suspension to the recall, blackmail, and attacks on social media. But we survived. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He is not the governor of this place, yet he treated me as though I were a servant in his house. It is unfortunate to have a National Assembly being run by such a dictator. Totally unacceptable.”
Her office had been sealed since March 6, 2025, when she was suspended for alleged misconduct after protesting the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio.
Although the six-month suspension expired in September, legal hurdles and Senate resistance prevented her return. On July 4, however, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled her suspension “excessive and unconstitutional,” paving the way for her comeback.
Upon unsealing the office, Adedeji formally declared:
“I, Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, hereby unseal the office. The office is hereby unsealed. Thank you.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan has been at the centre of a prolonged standoff with Senate leadership but insists she remains committed to her mandate.
Meanwhile, the Senate leadership has shifted the resumption of plenary from September 23 to October 7, 2025. The extension, communicated in an internal memo signed by Chinedu Akubueze, Chief of Staff to the Senate President, has raised eyebrows within the National Assembly as it prolongs the chamber’s annual recess by an additional two weeks.
The delay means critical debates and pending oversight inquiries—including those on government expenditure and executive appointments—remain on hold until October.
