Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has gained entry into the National Assembly complex in Abuja after initially being denied access.
The senator, currently under a six-month suspension imposed by the Senate, had vowed to return to legislative duties, citing a court ruling which, according to her, supported her reinstatement.
Her attempt to resume on Tuesday was initially blocked, as security operatives stopped her convoy from entering the premises. Senator Natasha, who was in a black vehicle, was turned back, along with another car ahead of hers that carried activist Aisha Yesufu.
Despite the setback, Natasha later stepped out of her vehicle and walked into the National Assembly on foot, accompanied by a group of supporters.
The Senate has issued a stern warning to suspended Kogi senator, Natasha, advising her not to attempt a return to the National Assembly ahead of the expiration of her suspension.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Chair of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, made this clear in a statement released on Sunday, saying there is no valid court ruling compelling the Senate to reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan immediately.
“The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to reaffirm, for the third time, that there is no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the expiration of her suspension,” Adaramodu stated.
His comments followed reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan planned to resume her legislative duties on Tuesday, allegedly citing a judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
However, Adaramodu explained that both the court ruling and the Certified True Copy of the Enrolled Order had already been reviewed by the Senate, with no binding instruction given regarding her recall.
“Rather, the Honourable Court gave a non-binding advisory urging the Senate to consider amending its Standing Orders and reviewing the suspension, which it opined might be excessive,” he said. “The Court, however, explicitly held that the Senate did not breach any law or constitutional provision in imposing the disciplinary measure based on the Senator’s misconduct during plenary.”
The Senate also recalled that the same court found Akpoti-Uduaghan in contempt, imposing a ₦5 million fine payable to the Federal Government and directing her to publish a formal apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page—an order she has reportedly yet to obey.
“It is therefore surprising and legally untenable that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, while on appeal and having filed a motion for stay against the valid and binding orders made against her, is attempting to act upon an imaginary order of recall that does not exist,” Adaramodu said.
He warned that any attempt by the senator to “storm the Senate next Tuesday under a false pretext” would be disruptive and in violation of legislative procedures.
Adaramodu concluded that the Senate would, in due course, consider the court’s advisory on potential amendments to its Standing Orders and her recall, and would formally communicate any decision to Akpoti-Uduaghan. Until then, he advised her to remain away from Senate proceedings and allow legal processes to take their course.
Natasha vows to be present
Meanwhile, Natasha insisted she will resume plenary at the Senate on Tuesday, 22nd of July 2025, in line with the judgement of the court, despite the appeal by the president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
She confirmed she had written to the Senate to formally announce her intention to return.
“I have pretty much two months more before the six months expire. However, I have written to the Senate again telling them that I’m resuming on the 22nd, which is on Tuesday, by the special grace of God,” she said in her Ihima hometown of Kogi on Saturday.
“I will be there, because the court did make the decision on that. Now, they argue that it’s an order — it’s not an order, but it is a decision.”
