Ofure Akhigbe
The Senate has reopened the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, six months after she was suspended from legislative duties. Her office, Suite 2.05 in the Senate wing, was unsealed on Monday by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly in the presence of security officials, effectively granting her access to resume official use of the facility.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, was suspended on March 6, 2025, over alleged misconduct, including objections to her seat being relocated in the chamber. The suspension, which lasted six months, barred her from plenary, stripped her of salaries and allowances, and denied her entry to the National Assembly complex.
The decision to reopen her office comes after weeks of pressure on the Senate leadership and a July 4 ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which described her suspension as “excessive” and a breach of her constituents’ rights to representation. Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgment, held that legislative suspensions must not undermine democratic representation.
While her office has now been unsealed, questions remain over the terms of her full resumption. Legislative sources said the Senate leadership met on Monday, September 22, and resolved to grant her access, but a motion may still be raised on the floor to compel her to tender an apology before she can return fully to plenary and committee duties.
Advocates, including the women’s rights coalition Womanifesto, have described the suspension as gender-biased and unconstitutional. “Denying her constituents a voice in the Senate for six months was a denial of democracy itself,” the group said in a July statement, urging immediate reinstatement.
For now, the unsealing of her office marks a significant step toward her comeback, but whether Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan will resume full participation in Senate proceedings may depend on the next round of negotiations within the chamber.