4 weeks ago
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By Henry Umoru
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP), representing Kogi Central, resumed plenary astatine the National Assembly connected Tuesday.
Natasha, who rounded disconnected her six-month suspension, officially resumed her spot successful the legislature connected Tuesday astatine precisely 11:42 am.
She walked into the Senate chambers, made her mode to her seat, and aft taking it, exchanged pleasantries with a fewer senators.
She was accompanied by respective activists to the Senate, including Bring Back Our Girls campaigner Aisha Yesufu, who was spotted successful the Senate gallery.
Several of the lawmakers’ supporters, however, were not allowed into the Senate gallery.
Recall that connected September 23, hardly a fewer hours aft her 2.05, the Senate Wing bureau was unsealed by the Sergeant astatine Arms of the National Assembly, on with combined unit of information organisations. Yesterday, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan stormed the National Assembly and resumed duties.
Upon her resumption successful September, Senator Natasha, who had been connected suspension, remained resolute, insisting that she had nary apology to tender.
Deputy Director of the Chamber’s Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, flanked by information personnel, formally reopened Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing—Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office.
The determination came aft her six-month suspension formally lapsed earlier this month.
Recall that the embattled past Chairman of the Senate Committee connected Diaspora and NGOs, Akpoti-Uduaghan, was successful March slammed with a six-month suspension by the Senate, which besides barred her from participating successful each activities of the 10th Senate implicit her alleged misconduct erstwhile she protested against the reassignment of her spot by Akpabio connected February 20, 2025.
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension ended successful September 2025, but she has been incapable to resume her duties owed to ongoing ineligible issues and continued absorption from the Senate leadership. Perhaps due to the fact that of the extended recess, we volition spot however it plays retired arsenic the Senate resumes plenary sessions.
Following her suspension, she took her lawsuit to the courts to vacate the suspension, arsenic she was not successful, and the Senate, connected its part, spoke done its applicable officers, insisting that the substance has thing to bash with intersexual allegations, but everything to bash with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s contravention of the Senate Standing Orders arsenic amended.
Binta Nyako, Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, successful July, described the six-month suspension arsenic excessive and unconstitutional, and thereafter ordered the Senate to callback the embattled Senator, citing that suspending a Senator for specified a agelong play would exposure constituents to non-representation during that time.
Thereafter, she made an effort to instrumentality to the Senate, but was denied access, and the Senate stood its crushed that she indispensable service her afloat term.
Also callback that the Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Kamorudeen Ogunlana, wrote her through the Acting Clerk to NASS, Yahaya Danzaria, who notified her that her six-month suspension subsists until the Court of Appeal delivers judgement successful the suit she instituted against the Senate.
On September 11, Counsel to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Michael Jonathan Numa, SAN, wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly, CNA Kamorudeen Ogunlana, to callback the Senator truthful that she could resume her legislative duties.
According to Numa successful the letter, the CNA should enactment that nonaccomplishment to comply by Monday, 15th September 2025, volition permission them with nary alternate but to initiate proceedings against you personally and successful your authoritative capacity. Such proceedings volition include, but are not constricted to: Committal for contempt; Disciplinary enactment for breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers; Liability for instigating breach of the bid with imaginable implications for nationalist security; and immoderate different remedies disposable to our lawsuit nether the law.
Responding to the missive by her lawyer, the CNA, Ogunlana, urged the nationalist to stay diligent and let the due institutions – including the Senate and the courts – to discharge their law responsibilities successful respect of the resumption of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
According to him, helium does not person the authorization to review, reverse oregon construe Senate decisions against the backdrop that his bureau serves strictly arsenic an administrative arm, providing enactment to the Senate successful accordance with their resolutions, Standing Orders and the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
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