EXPIRATION OF SUSPENSION: PDP kicks as Senate denies Natasha resumption

•Why she can’t resume yet —NASS

•PDP slams Akpabio, Senate leadership

By Henry Umoru & Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA—THE main absorption Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has berated Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, implicit the National Assembly’s determination to halt Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, (PDP, Kogi Central) from returning to the Senate aft the expiration of her six-month suspension.

The Senate volition resume from 2 months recess connected September 23.

On September 4, 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended connected March 6, wrote to the enactment of the Assembly, notifying them of her program to resume.

However, successful a reply signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, she was informed that her suspension was inactive progressive and tied to a pending lawsuit astatine the Court of Appeal.

Piqued by the Senate move, the PDP, yesterday, accused the Senate President and the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Senate enactment of trying to halt Akpoti-Uduaghan from returning to the Senate aft serving a six-month suspension, saying the determination was aimed astatine denying the radical of Kogi Central senatorial territory their dependable successful the National Assembly and weakening the opposition.

The legislator had earlier gone to tribunal to situation her suspension, which began connected March 6, 2025, aft she clashed with Senate President Akpabio implicit seating arrangements during plenary.

Court ruling

The Federal High Court had ruled successful favour of the Senate, prompting her to question redress astatine the appellate court.

According to the National Assembly, nary administrative enactment volition beryllium taken until the Court of Appeal delivers its decision.

It stressed that her suspension cannot beryllium reviewed until the judicial process was afloat concluded.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was assured that she would beryllium officially informed of the Senate’s last presumption erstwhile the lawsuit is resolved.

The missive read: “The matter, therefore, remains subjudice, and until the judicial process is concluded and the Senate formally reviewed the suspension successful the airy of the court’s pronouncement.

”No administrative enactment tin beryllium taken by this bureau to facilitate your resumption. You volition beryllium duly notified of the Senate’s determination connected the substance arsenic soon arsenic it is resolved.”

PDP accuses Akpabio of crippled to barroom Natasha from senate

Reacting to the issue, the PDP, successful a connection signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, condemned reports that the Clerk of the National Assembly had issued a missive barring Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her duties.

“This reported enactment by the Clerk of the National Assembly smacks of a calculated effort being orchestrated by the Akpabio-led APC Senate enactment to abridge the close of practice of the radical of Kogi Central Senatorial District and contradict them a dependable astatine the highest law-making assemblage successful the country,” the connection read.

The PDP said this determination violated the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Standing Rules of the Senate. It described it arsenic a superior menace to ideology and nationalist stability.

“The effort to usage the National Assembly constitution against an elected Senator is highly provocative and constitutes a nonstop battle connected the regularisation of instrumentality and antiauthoritarian governance,” Ologunagba stated.

The absorption enactment besides accused the APC of utilizing authorities institutions to soundlessness absorption voices successful the country.

“It besides comes arsenic portion of the antics being deployed severally by the APC-controlled Senate and the Federal Government to suffocate the opposition, which further confirms the creeping totalitarianism successful our state nether the APC government,” the PDP said.

The connection further linked the enactment to what it described arsenic attacks connected women successful politics, recalling allegations of harassment against women levelled astatine Senate President Akpabio.

“The reported enactment against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan further brings to the fore the allegations of attacks connected the rights of women and sustained attempts to stifle their voices, arsenic witnessed successful the assorted accusations of harassment against women levelled against the existent Senate President implicit the years,” Ologunagba said.

The PDP urged Akpabio to code these allegations straight alternatively of allegedly utilizing his bureau to intimidate Senator Akpot...