Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, on Tuesday resumed duties at the National Assembly six months after her suspension by the Senate leadership.

The senator’s office, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, was reopened by Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji.
“For me, I am glad to be here,” she told reporters. “Even though we were illegally suspended, I never hesitated in effectively carrying out my duties to the best of my capacity.”

Although the Senate is currently on recess and is expected to reconvene on 7 October 2025, supporters accompanied her from the FCT High Court—where she faced a defamation case filed by the Federal Government—to the National Assembly complex. They cheered and danced as she entered her office.

The defamation case was filed on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March 2025 for allegedly violating the Senate’s standing rules, a move that sparked widespread criticism from civil society and opposition politicians. While the senator challenged the suspension in court in July, her attempt to resume earlier was unsuccessful.

Her six-month suspension expired in September, after which she notified the Senate of her intention to return. However, in its response, the Senate maintained that the issue remained sub judice.
“The matter remains before the court, and until judicial processes are concluded, no administrative action can be taken,” the Senate replied.

The Senate added that her suspension, which began on 6 March 2025, would only be reviewed after the Court of Appeal delivers its ruling.

Defending its stance, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, told reporters at a capacity-building workshop in Abuja:
“The National Assembly is not a banana republic. We operate under rules that must be obeyed. Nigerians need to understand this, and journalists covering the Senate have a role in explaining it.”