The hope of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to return to the red chamber was dashed yesterday as the Senate firmly rejected her bid to resume legislative duties, insisting that her six-month suspension remains in force until the Court of Appeal rules on her case.
In a strongly worded letter signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, the Senate acknowledged receiving Akpoti-Uduaghan’s notice of intent to resume plenary on September 4, 2025, which she claimed marked the expiration of her suspension.
But the upper chamber held a contrary view, stressing that her suspension, which took effect on March 6, 2025, remains binding and cannot be lifted administratively while the matter is still under judicial consideration.
“The matter remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate your resumption,” the letter categorically stated.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, was suspended earlier in the year over alleged breaches of Senate standing orders. Though she challenged the action in court, the Federal High Court in Abuja upheld the suspension, compelling her to seek redress at the Court of Appeal.
With the appellate court yet to deliver its verdict, the Senate maintains that the embattled lawmaker must remain outside the chamber until due process runs its full course.
The development has once again rekindled debates on legislative discipline, constitutional rights of elected representatives, and the extent of parliamentary immunity from judicial intervention in Nigeria’s democracy.
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