ABUJA — The National Assembly on Tuesday unlocked Senate Office 205 belonging to embattled Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a move widely seen as the first step toward reconciling her with Senate leadership.
The development effectively restores her access to the complex after months of being locked out following her suspension in March 2025. Parliamentary sources confirmed that the decision was reached at a closed-door meeting of Senate leaders on Monday.
When plenary resumes on October 7, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro is expected to move a motion for her formal reinstatement after a public apology, insiders revealed.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months in March after a heated protest over the reallocation of her seat. She was stripped of her position as Chair of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs and barred from all activities of the 10th Senate over alleged breaches of Standing Orders.
Although her suspension technically expired in September, she remained denied access to her office amid court battles and resistance from Senate leadership.
In July, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ruled that her lengthy suspension was “excessive and unconstitutional,” warning that it deprived her constituents of representation. Still, the Senate insisted she must serve the full suspension term.
Mounting legal pressure intensified this month after her counsel, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), issued a 15 September deadline to the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamorudeen Ogunlana, to reinstate her or face contempt proceedings. The CNA, however, maintained he had no powers to overturn Senate resolutions.
The unlocking of her office marks a dramatic turn in the standoff and points to a possible softening of Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s stance against the fiery PDP lawmaker.
Comments