Senate Warns Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan: Your Return Is Illegal
The Nigerian Senate has warned suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against resuming legislative duties on July 22, 2025, declaring such a move illegal. Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, stated on July 20, “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to reaffirm, for the third time, that there is no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the expiration of her suspension.”
The warning follows Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim, made during a constituency event, that a July 4, 2025, Federal High Court ruling by Justice Binta Nyako allows her immediate return.
Adaramodu clarified that the court’s ruling was a non-binding recommendation, not an enforceable order, advising the Senate to review its rules and the six-month suspension imposed on March 6, 2025, for violating Senate Standing Rules.
The suspension stemmed from a February 20, 2025, dispute over a seat reassignment, followed by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s sexual harassment allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, which he denied.
The Senate dismissed her petition as procedurally flawed. Akpoti-Uduaghan was fined ₦5 million for contempt of court and ordered to issue public apologies in two national dailies and on her verified Facebook account, which she has not yet done.
“It is surprising and legally baseless that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, despite being under suspension and having appealed the judgment, is attempting to act on a non-existent court order,” Adaramodu said, warning that her return would disrupt legislative order.
He added, “The Senate will, at the appropriate time, consider the advisory opinion of the court on both amending the Standing Orders of the Senate, her recall, and communicate the same thereof to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan. Until then, she is respectfully advised to stay away from the Senate chambers and allow due process to run its full course.
