Daily lens Report
After months of political tension and courtroom battles, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central is poised to make a dramatic return to plenary today (Tuesday), ending her six-month suspension by the Senate.
Her lawyer, Victor Giwa, confirmed the development in an interview with Punch, insisting that the lawmaker had completed her suspension and must be allowed to resume her legislative duties. He warned that any attempt to block her return would defy the Senate’s own resolution and risk throwing the National Assembly into “total chaos.”
“She has served out the six months,” Giwa said. “Whatever is in court now is only to determine whether the initial suspension was valid. Denying her resumption means the Senate is contradicting itself — that would be chaos.”
Ahead of her anticipated return, Akpoti-Uduaghan reignited her feud with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, branding him a “dictator” and accusing him of running the upper chamber like a personal estate.
Speaking after her office was unsealed on September 23, the senator declared she owed no apology for her actions.
“It’s amazing what we’ve endured over the past six months — from unjust suspension to blackmail — but we survived it all,” she said. “Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He treated me like a servant in his house. It’s disgraceful that our National Assembly is run by such a dictator. Totally unacceptable.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s ordeal began on February 20 after she protested the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio. The Senate suspended her on March 6 for alleged misconduct, and her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing was sealed by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
Although the suspension expired in September, legal wrangling and resistance from the Senate leadership delayed her return.
With the National Assembly reconvening today after an extended recess, all eyes are on the red chamber to see whether the outspoken Kogi senator will reclaim her seat without incident — or face fresh pushback from her rivals.
