Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, will return to the National Assembly later this month following the completion of her six-month suspension, her lawyer has confirmed.
Speaking with The PUNCH in Abuja, her counsel, Victor Giwa, disclosed that the lawmaker is currently on vacation in London but has already made arrangements to resume plenary when the Senate reconvenes on September 23.
“Actually, she’s ready to resume her term. She’s in London. Everything is in place, and the six months have expired. The only thing left is her resumption,” Giwa said. He added that the Senate leadership is not expected to obstruct her return: “We have been told that even the leadership of the Senate is ready to welcome her. So that’s the situation at the moment. There is no obstacle at all.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 after she allegedly rejected a change of her designated seat during plenary, an action the Senate considered insubordination. The suspension, based on recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, also stripped her of aides, office space, and salaries.
The senator had maintained that her ordeal was politically motivated, linking it to her petition accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment — an allegation the Senate dismissed. She later challenged her suspension in court and claimed to have secured a judgment in her favour, but Senate leaders insisted she would remain suspended until the six-month sanction elapsed.
Her attempt to return in July ended in a standoff when security operatives barred her entry into the National Assembly complex, despite a crowd of supporters rallying outside.
With the suspension officially expiring last Saturday, Giwa said pending legal disputes will not prevent her resumption. “Everything will be resolved. Even the court cases will become like an academic exercise,” he noted.
Efforts to reach the Senate leadership for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu and the media aide to Akpabio went unanswered.
