Suspension: NASS blocks Natasha from returning to Senate
The National Assembly has stopped Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central senatorial district on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from returning to the Senate after the Senator claimed her six-month suspension had elapsed.
On September 4, 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan wrote to the leadership of the Assembly, notifying them of her plan to resume.
However, in a reply, the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, told Natasha that her suspension was still active and tied to a pending case at the Court of Appeal.
The Senator had earlier gone to court to challenge her suspension, which began on March 6, 2025, after she clashed with Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over sitting arrangements during a plenary.
The Federal High Court had ruled in favour of the Senate, prompting her to seek redress at the appellate court. According to the National Assembly, no administrative action would be taken until the Court of Appeal delivers its decision, stressing that her suspension cannot be reviewed until the judicial process was fully concluded.
The letter read: “The matter, therefore, remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded and the Senate formally reviews the suspension in the light of the court’s pronouncement, no administrative action can be taken by this office to facilitate your resumption.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was assured that she would be officially informed of the Senate’s final position once the case is resolved. “You will be duly notified of the Senate’s decision on the matter as soon as it is resolved,” the NASS Clerk stated.
