Senator Natasha Storms Back To The Red Chamber Today — Vows Not To Bow To ‘Dictator’ Akpabio After Six-Month Suspension

After months of political turbulence, courtroom showdowns, and fiery exchanges, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the outspoken lawmaker representing Kogi Central, is set to make a dramatic return to the Senate today (Tuesday), bringing an end to her six-month suspension that has gripped the nation’s attention.

Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, confirmed the development in an interview with The Punch, emphasizing that the suspension period had run its full course and that there was no legal or procedural basis to prevent her from resuming legislative duties.

“She has served out the six months, so whatever is pending in court is only to determine whether the Senate’s action in March was valid. It has nothing to do with her resumption,” Giwa asserted.
He warned that any attempt to block her return would amount to a direct violation of the Senate’s own resolution, cautioning that such a move could “plunge the National Assembly into total chaos.”

> “If you deny her the chance to resume, it means you are even going against your own decision — that’s the height of institutional disorder,” he warned.

Ahead of her long-awaited return, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan launched a scathing rebuke against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she accused of running the upper chamber “like a private empire.”

Speaking shortly after her office at the National Assembly was unsealed on September 23, 2025, the senator said she owed no apology for standing up to what she described as tyranny within the legislative arm.

> “It’s amazing how much we’ve endured in the past six months — from the unjust suspension to the recall. But we survived the blackmail, the propaganda, and even that crazy lady on Facebook,” she said defiantly.
“Sometimes, it’s good to test the strength of our institutions. 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, yet he treated me like domestic staff in his house. That is totally unacceptable.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s ordeal began on February 20, when she openly protested the alleged reassignment of her Senate seat by Akpabio — an act she deemed both provocative and undemocratic.
Barely two weeks later, on March 6, the Senate suspended her for “unparliamentary conduct,” sealing off her office (Suite 2.05, Senate Wing) and barring her staff from accessing it.

Although the suspension officially expired in September, her return was stalled by a web of legal battles and resistance from Senate leadership — a move many political observers described as “vindictive and unconstitutional.”

With the Senate officially resuming from its extended recess today after shifting plenary from September 23 to October 7, all eyes are now fixed on the red chamber.
Will Natasha’s bold comeback mark a turning point for legislative independence, or will it reignite tensions within Akpabio’s fragile leadership circle?

Either way, Tuesday’s plenary promises high drama as one of Nigeria’s most vocal female senators walks back into the chamber — unbowed, unapologetic, and ready to reclaim her seat.