A crowd of jubilant supporters of the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Tuesday, gathered to celebrate the unsealing of her office at the National Assembly.
The supporters cheered and danced as they accompanied the senator from the FCT High Court, where she appeared in a case of alleged defamation filed against her by the Federal Government, to the NASS Complex, marking the first time she entered her office since her suspension in March.
The suit at the court was instituted on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.
READ ALSO: National Assembly Unseals Senator Natasha’s Office
The National Assembly had earlier on Tuesday unsealed the office of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing.
The office was opened by the Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji.
Security operatives at the entrance of the complex had a hard time preventing the lawmaker’s supporters from entering the building.
Speaking at her office after a six-month absence, the lawmaker said she was glad to be back in her office.
“For me, I am glad to be here. Even though we had been illegally suspended, no day have I hesitated in effectively carrying out my duties as the senator of Kogi Central to the very best of my capacity,”
The Senate is currently in recess but will resume plenary on October 7, 2025.
Suspension
The office had remained locked for six months, following Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension over the alleged violation of the Senate’s standing rules.
Her suspension had sparked widespread reactions.
While critics, particularly civil society organisations and opposition politicians, condemned the Senate’s action, the upper chamber defended its decision.
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She approached the court in July over the matter and made an unsuccessful attempt to resume sitting.
While the matter is still in court, the Kogi Senator served out her six-month suspension in September and declared her intention to return to her duty.
Akpoti-Uduaghan had written to the Senate, informing it of her intention to resume.
‘Senate Not Banana Republic’
However, the lawmakers, while acknowledging her letter, said they would not take action on it until the end of the court process.
“The matter remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate your resumption,” a reply by the Senate read in part.
The Senate maintained that her six-month suspension, which began on 6 March 2025, would only be reviewed after the Court of Appeal’s decision.
During a one-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja, the Chairman, Senate Committee on media and public affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said that the upper chamber’s activities were guided by rules that must be obeyed, as it was not a banana republic.
‘The National Assembly is not a banana republic. We operate under rules that must be obeyed. It’s important that Nigerians are made to understand this, and you, the journalists covering the Senate, have a key role to play,” the senator stated.
“If a senator is assigned seat number 10 and chooses to sit on seat number 13, that senator will not be recognised by the Senate President. If the person insists on being recognised, trouble will certainly ensue,” Adaramodu added.
