After a six-month suspension that stirred national controversy, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Tuesday made a triumphant return to the Nigerian Senate.
The lawmaker representing Kogi Central arrived at the Red Chamber beaming with smiles as the Senate reconvened for plenary following a 10-week recess, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio presiding over proceedings.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was accompanied by a small group of activists and loyal supporters, including renowned rights advocate Aisha Yesufu, who was spotted in the public gallery. Several others who attempted to attend were, however, denied entry.
Upon arrival, the senator exchanged warm pleasantries with a few colleagues before taking her seat—marking her first official appearance since her suspension in March 2025.
Her return brings to a close a turbulent chapter that began after she protested the reassignment of her seat by the Senate President during plenary on February 20, 2025—an action that eventually led to her suspension for alleged misconduct.
Throughout her absence, her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing remained under lock and key until it was recently reopened by Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms.
Two weeks before Tuesday’s resumption, Akpoti-Uduaghan was allowed back into her office, where she openly criticized Akpabio, describing him as a “dictator.”
Tuesday’s plenary recorded a strong turnout of lawmakers, signaling a full return to legislative business after the long recess—and the quiet end of one of the Senate’s most heated disciplinary sagas of the year.
