After a six-month suspension that drew widespread condemnation and legal challenge, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Tuesday made a bold return to the National Assembly, vowing never to apologise for what she described as a politically-motivated injustice.
Speaking to journalists from her Senate office, which had been sealed since her suspension in March, the Kogi Central lawmaker dismissed the entire process leading to her removal as a “fraudulent manipulation of legislative procedures.”
She said, “If reopening my office was done with the expectation of an apology, then the battle has just begun.
“I owe no apology to anyone for the injustice I suffered, none whatsoever.”
Her return follows a court ruling which nullified the Senate resolution that suspended her, declaring it illegal and unconstitutional.
The Senate, which had previously maintained a hardline stance, quietly unsealed her office days later, under the supervision of National Assembly officials and security personnel.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator, was suspended on March 6, 2025, over alleged “unruly behaviour” during a February 20 Senate session.
The Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen (Edo South), had recommended her suspension. But the senator insists that the resolution was orchestrated by Senate leadership to suppress dissent.
She said, “The so-called recommendation that led to my suspension was actually drafted in the Office of the Senate President.
“The signatures attached were not votes, they were collected from an attendance sheet. That is not democracy; it is legislative fraud.”
The senator also issued a scathing rebuke of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, stating, “Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He is not a governor here. He cannot treat me as if I’m his domestic staff.”
The reopening of her office came as the Senate abruptly postponed its plenary session, originally scheduled to resume on Tuesday, September 23.
According to internal memos from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, and the Chief of Staff to the Senate President, plenary will now reconvene on October 7, a delay for which no official reason was provided.
However, a senior source in the National Assembly hinted that the postponement may be a strategic move to “de-escalate internal tensions” following the court ruling in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s favour.
The senator’s suspension had sparked fierce public and institutional backlash. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Afenifere, and numerous civil society organisations condemned the action as an abuse of legislative power.
High-profile Nigerians including human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki also voiced support for her.
“I thank Atiku Abubakar, Mama Oby Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu, Femi Falana, and of course, my beloved family and the people of Kogi Central,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said. “We survived blackmail, road blockades, and attempts to silence us.”
A lawyer and social entrepreneur, Akpoti-Uduaghan has emerged as one of the most vocal lawmakers in the 10th Senate.
Since unseating a serving senator from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election, she has championed causes ranging from gender equity to government accountability.
While some critics have labelled her approach as confrontational, many of her supporters regard her as a much-needed disruptor within Nigeria’s often conservative legislative environment.
Her legal team maintains that she remains a duly elected senator with full rights to resume legislative duties, warning that any further obstruction would amount to a violation of her constitutional mandate.
“No one is more Nigerian than the other,” she said. “Institutions must be tested. We must never cower in the face of injustice.”
Though her physical office has been reopened, it remains uncertain whether she will be allowed to fully participate when the Senate reconvenes in October.
What is clear, however, is that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is not retreating from the political frontlines any time soon.
