The Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has resumed duties at her office in the National Assembly complex, Abuja.
The senator arrived at about 12:30 p.m., accompanied by a crowd of supporters including an activist and co-founder of #BringBackOurGilrs movement, Aisha Yesufu, waving Nigerian flags.
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Security operatives at the main gate, however, barred the supporters from entering and later dispersed them with teargas but Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan and a few aides were eventually allowed access into the building.
The senator and her supporters began their demonstration at the FCT High Court in Maitama before marching to the National Assembly.
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On gaining entry, she proceeded to her office in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing and took her seat, just hours after the National Assembly management unsealed the office.
Addressing journalists, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan declared she had “no apologies to make” and affirmed that she had resumed her duties.
As of press time, the National Assembly management had yet to issue a formal statement on whether she has been officially cleared to resume.
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Although Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan has completed her six-month suspension, the matter remains in court. She had insisted on resuming legislative duties, but the National Assembly management has maintained that she cannot return while the case was pending.
The management later clarified that only the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, could approve her resumption.
Contest of suspension
On 6 March, the Senate suspended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months based on the recommendations of its Committee on Ethics, Privileges, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.
The committee accused her of defying the Senate’s sitting arrangement and engaging in alleged misconduct during a plenary session on 20 February.
Apart from suspending Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, the upper chamber also withdrew her security aides, locked her Senate office, suspended her salary and allowances, and banned her from entering the National Assembly premises.
Although the Senate left room for an early recall if she tendered a written apology, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan instead approached the court to challenge the decision.
In July, Binta Nyako, judge of the Federal High Court ruled in her favour, holding that suspending an elected lawmaker for six months amounts to denying her constituents their right to representation.
However, the court did not order her immediate reinstatement. Instead, Mrs Nyako issued an advisory opinion, urging the Senate to reconsider the suspension.
In a separate ruling, the court found Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of civil contempt over a satirical social media post deemed disrespectful to the court. She was fined N5 million and ordered to publish a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the senate president filed a cross-appeal at the Court of Appeal on 11 July.
Through his counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN, Mr Akpabio argued that the Federal High Court erred in law and exceeded its powers by intervening in the Senate’s internal disciplinary process.
Experiences
While recounting her ordeal, Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan described her six-month suspension as a difficult but remarkable experience.
“In retrospect, it is actually amazing how much we have had to pay in the past six months, from the unjust suspension to the recall. But we survived the recall, blackmail, and that crazy lady on Facebook.
“It is amazing what we had to pass through, and I give God Almighty the glory and my deepest appreciation to the people of Kogi Central and Nigerians at large. To my husband, I love you dearly. I pray all men support their wives in the same manner you have supported me,” she said.
The senator also alleged that the senate president, treated her unfairly and ran the Senate in a dictatorial manner.
“In everything, sometimes it is good to push the institution to the test. We can’t cower down in the face of injustice. No one is more Nigerian than us. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He is not the governor of this place, yet he treated me as if I were a servant or domestic staff in his house. It’s very unfortunate that at this time after so many years of democracy we would have a National Assembly being run by such a dictatorship. It’s totally unacceptable,” she added.
Illegal suspension
Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan also described her suspension as illegal, noting that throughout the period, she continued to discharge her legislative responsibilities to the people of Kogi Central.
“As for me, I’m glad to be here., Even though we have been illegally suspended, no day have I hesitated in effectively carrying out my duties as a senator of Kogi central to the very best of my capacity.
I have never, not a day went by without me looking out for opportunities either in terms of bringing infrastructure projects to my people and even jobs wherever I could because I didn’t want them to suffer the neglect and the vacuum that was created by this injustice.
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“But I just want to let Nigerians know that the future is bright. We just can’t give up our hopes.
Our democracy is evolving. And I trust that every day leading into 2027, we will be able to put out actions that will be worthwhile, because patriotically, we have a country to save. Thank you all so much for your support,” she added.
The senator also expressed gratitude to her husband, Emmanuel, her family, political leaders, and civil society activists who stood by her during the suspension.
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