Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Archives

A video circulating on social media on Tuesday captured a jubilant crowd of supporters accompanying Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan back to the National Assembly as she resumed her legislative duties following months of suspension.

In the footage, the Kogi Central lawmaker was seen walking surrounded by cheering supporters. A man was also heard offering prayers for her, to which she responded, “Amen.”

PUNCH Online reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan resumed her duties shortly after regaining access to her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, which was unsealed by the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji.

Upon resumption, the senator, who had been suspended, remained resolute, stating she had “no apology to tender.”

She said, “In retrospect, 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.

“It is amazing what we had to endure, and I give God Almighty the glory and my deepest appreciation to the people of Kogi Central and Nigerians at large. To my husband, I love you dearly. I pray all men support their wives in the same manner you have supported me.

“In everything, sometimes it is good to push the institution to the test. We cannot 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…

“It is so unfortunate that we will have a National Assembly run by such a dictator. It is totally unacceptable.”

The video of her return has been widely shared on social media, with commenters praising her resilience and the warm welcome from her supporters. (Punch)

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ruled that the Nigerian Senate acted beyond its powers by suspending Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, ordering her immediate recall to the Red Chamber.

Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgment, described the duration of the suspension as “excessive” and without a clear legal foundation.

According to the court, both Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Orders and Section 14 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, which the upper chamber relied upon, do not stipulate a maximum suspension period. As such, they were deemed overreaching in this case.

The judge pointed out that since the National Assembly is only required to sit for 181 days in a legislative year, suspending a lawmaker for roughly that same length of time effectively silences the voice of an entire constituency—a move she described as unconstitutional.

“While the Senate has the authority to discipline its members, such sanctions must not go so far as to deny constituents their right to representation,” Nyako ruled.

However, the court sided with Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on a separate issue, stating that his refusal to allow Akpoti-Uduaghan to speak during a plenary—on the grounds that she was not seated in her designated chair—did not amount to a violation of her rights.

Nyako also dismissed Akpabio’s argument that the judiciary had no business interfering in what he called an “internal affair” of the legislature, stating that fundamental rights and representation are matters squarely within the court’s purview.

In a twist, the court imposed a monetary penalty on Akpoti-Uduaghan for breaching a prior court directive that barred both parties from making public statements about the ongoing legal matter.

The fine runs into millions of naira. (Punch)

Tag: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

Jubilant crowd welcomes Natasha at N’Assembly as she resumes

Court orders Senate to recall suspended Natasha