Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, was greeted by a crowd of jubilant supporters at the National Assembly on Tuesday to celebrate the unveiling of her office.
The senator’s supporters greeted the senator at the NASS Complex with cheers and dancing as they accompanied her from the FCT High Court, where she had previously testified against her in a federal government lawsuit, to the NASS Complex. This was her first official appearance since her March suspension.
Godswill Akpabio, president of the Senate, and Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi State, both brought the lawsuit in the court.
CLICK HERE to read Senator Natasha’s Office unseals.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator’s office was unveiled by the National Assembly on Tuesday in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing.
Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, the deputy director, officially opened the office.
The lawmaker’s supporters were hampered by security personnel at the entrance of the complex.
After missing for six months, the lawmaker expressed gratitude at her place of employment.
“I’m happy to be here, for me.” No day has it been difficult for me to effectively carry out my duties as Kogi Central senator to the best of my ability, despite the fact that we had been illegally suspended.
The Senate is currently in session, but it will resume its regular session on October 7, 2025.
Suspension
Following Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension for allegedly violating the Senate’s standing rules, the office had been locked for six months.
Her suspension had sparked a lot of outcry.
The Senate’s action was condemned by critics, particularly opposition politicians and civil society organizations, but the upper chamber defended its decision.
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In July, she contacted the court about the situation, but she failed to return to sitting.
The Kogi Senator announced her intention to return to her duties in September after serving out her six-month suspension while the case is still in court.
The Senate was informed of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s intentions in a letter.
Senate: A Republic Without Bananas
The lawmakers acknowledged her letter, but they said they would wait until the court process was over before acting on it.
No administrative steps can be taken to facilitate your resumption until the judicial process is finished, according to the Senate’s response, which read in part.
The Court of Appeal’s decision would only be reviewed after the Senate’s six-month suspension, which ended on March 6, 2025.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, stated during a one-day capacity-building workshop in Abuja that the upper chamber’s activities were dictated by regulations that had to be followed because it was not a banana republic.
The National Assembly does not represent a “banana republic.” We have rules in place that must be followed. You, the journalists covering the Senate, have a crucial role to play, the senator said, and it’s important that Nigerians are made aware of this.
Source: Channels TV
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