Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi Central, has resumed plenary after serving her six-month suspension by the Senate following a shouting match with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat rearrangement.
The senator joined her colleagues on Tuesday after 10-week recess of the Upper Chamber.
The Kogi Central senator’s plenary resumption follows her ealier return to her office at the Senate about 1.09pm on Tuesday, September 23, where she described her suspension by the Senate as “illegal” and vowed not to apologise to her colleagues in the Senate if that was the condition for letting her into the premises.
Tribune Online reports that Natasha arrived tha National Assembly (NASS) Complex following an earlier decision by the Senate to unseal her office.
Findings indicated that a leadership meeting earlier held on Monday, preparatory to Tuesday’s resumption of plenary, resolved to let Akpoti-Uduaghan in.
Senators were also said to be divided over the fate of the Kogi Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker, with most arguing that locking her out further would “continue to create needless distractions for the Senate.”
Speaking with journalists after settling down in her office, Akpoti-Uduaghan vowed not to apologise to the Senate for the reason she was suspended, insisting that her suspension remained “illegal.”
She stated that she learnt part of the conditions she would have to fulfil for being allowed in would be to tender an apology, but Akpoti-Uduaghan declared she would never succumb to that line of thought.
Akpoti-Uduaghan said, “So I am actually worried as to what apology they expect from me. You can’t apologise for an injustice. And may I remind the good people of Nigeria that the document that led to my illegal suspension, which is the recommendation which Senator Neda Imasuen read, was actually written by the office of the Senate President. And the signatures that endorsed that recommendation were not willful signatures. It was only a tender sheet that was attached.”
She added, “That means the entire document that read and pronounced my suspension was listed with fraud. So, this is just one illegality upon the other. And I think in Nigeria, we should reject such things. I think it’s actually appalling that such an amount of illegality exists, and that fraud can occur in the National Assembly.
“So, if they are expecting me to apologise, I’m sorry, I don’t have those words. And if that is the condition for opening this office, then I think we have a long dance to make.”
According to Akpoti-Uduaghan, she resisted the alleged attempts by the Senate to treat her as though she were the “domestic staff” to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, to the last.
She expressed appreciation to all her supporters and those who believed in the efforts she made to return to the Senate, including lawyers, her husband, opposition political parties, women groups, the media and her constituents.
Crowds of supporters followed her to the National Assembly, forcing security operatives to tighten security at the gates, though they eventually made their way into the premises.
Natasha’s return to NASS is coming hours after the Senate shifted its resumption of plenary sessions by two weeks, moving it from September 23 to October 7, 2025.
The chamber had adjourned on July 24 for its annual holiday and was scheduled to reconvene today
Background
Tribune Online reports Senator Natasha was in March suspended for six months after a shouting match with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat arrangements.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions proposed the suspension following the incident and was approved by the plenary, presided over by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
However, lawmakers agreed that the suspension could be lifted or reduced if she issued a written apology.If You’re Reading From Phoenix Click On Read Original at the top To Read Full Article
“For the Senate to consider lifting this suspension or reducing the tenure of the suspension, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan shall submit a written apology to the Senate before her reconsideration by the Nigerian Senate,” Akpabio announced at the Red Chamber.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
