A fresh row broke out yesterday over the expiration of the six-month suspension slammed on Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate and her request for resumption.
The National Assembly and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disagreed over whether the senator should resume at the Upper Chamber, following the expiration of the sanction.
Explaining why Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan cannot resume her legislative duties, the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, said the suspension is still a subject of litigation at the Court of Appeal.
But the PDP, on which platform she was elected into the upper legislative chamber, kicked against the Senate’s position, accusing it of denying the senator, her constituency and the party of legitimate representation.
Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate over alleged misconduct on March 6, but she challenged the action in court.
On September 4, the Senator, representing Kogi Central wrote a letter, which has gone viral, to the Clerk to the National Assembly, notifying him of her plan to resume.
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However, the acting Clerk explained in a letter that she cannot resume while the appeal she filed challenging the judgement of the Federal High Court that found her guilty of contempt of Court is still pending at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
He said no administrative action would be taken on her request until the Court of Appeal disposes off the appeal.
The Clerk said Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan would be officially informed of the Senate’s position on her request to resume after the case has been heard and judgment delivered.
Resumption is prejudice, says National Assembly
The National Assembly explained that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return to the Senate will be subjudice until the adjudication on the court case.
The Clerk’s letter to the senator with reference number NASS/CNA/29/VOL.1/41, dated September 4, is titled: “Re: Notice of Resumption.”
It reads: “I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter notifying this office of your intention to resume sitting and other legislative duties in the Senate on the 4th of September, 2025, which you claim is the date of expiration of the six months suspension imposed on you by the Senate.
“I am further directed to inform you that your suspension was with effect from Thursday 6th March, 2025 and draw your attention to the fact that the subject matter of your suspension is presently before the Court of Appeal.
“The matter therefore, remains subjudice, and until the judicial process is concluded and the Senate formally reviews the suspension in the light of the Court’s pronouncement, no administrative action can be taken by this office to facilitate your resumption.
“You will be duly notified of the Senate’s decision on the matter as soon as it is resolved.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s letter to the Clerk titled: “Notice of Resumption” and dated August 28, reads: “I write in my capacity as Distinguished Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, in respect of the above-referenced matter.
“You will recall that in spite of the judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on the 4th day of July, 2025, which held that my suspension was excessive and unconstitutional, subsequently directing the Senate to recall me to resume my legislative duties, I was denied entry into the National Assembly Complex on the 21st day of July, 2025 on the grounds that the Senate President filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal against my resumption.
“I write to formally notify you on my decision to resume my legislative function upon the expiration of the suspension period.
“I wish to formally notify this office that the six-month suspension period imposed upon me shall expire on 4th September, 2025, being exactly six months from the date of imposition.
“Consequently, by operation of law and in accordance with the terms of the Senate’s resolution, I am entitled to resume my full duties as a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It is pertinent to state that my entitlement to resumption of my senatorial duties upon expiration of the suspension period subsists without prejudice to the appeal I have filed in appeal No: CA/AB.J/CV/1107/2025, challenging, among others, the constitutionality of the referral leading to the suspension and terms imposed as well as the order of contempt made against me by the Federal High Court; and the Cross-Appeal filed by the Senate President.
Both matters being currently pending before the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
“Notwithstanding that the Senate is currently on recess, I hereby formally request that arrangements be made to grant me immediate access to my senatorial office upon expiration of the suspension on 4th September, 2025.
This request is founded on the folowing compeling grounds:
“Having been away from active senatorial duties for six months, I require adequate time to review pending legislative business, catch up on committee assignments and reports, attend to constituency matters that may have accumulated during my absence and prepare for the resumption of plenary sessions.
“I remain constitutionally bound to represent my constituents effectively, and such representation requires proper preparation and access to official resources.
“Access to official correspondence, files, and other materials in my office is essential for the proper discharge of my senatorial responsibilities.
“I wish to respectfully remind your office that the suspension was for a definite period of six months, not indefinite; upon expiration, my full rights and privileges as a Senator are automatically restored.
“Any attempt to extend, or vary the terms of the suspension beyond 4th September, 2025, unilaterally would constitute a breach of the principles of natural justice and fair hearing.
“I trust that your office will take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with this legitimate demand, which is founded on law and the clear terms of the Senate’s own resolution.
“I look forward to your written confirmation of the arrangements for my resumption of duties, and would be grateful if same could be provided before the 4th day of September, 2025.”
PDP: It is a violation of her right
The PDP complained against the Senate’s position on resumption, describing it as a plot to deny Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to perform her legislative duties.
The party alleged in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was orchestrating a clampdown on Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan through the Office of the Clerk.
He described the move as “a calculated attempt to abridge the right of representation of the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District and deny them a voice at the highest law-making body in the country.”
Ologunagba said there is no legal or logical basis to hinder Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan from performing the duties she was elected to discharge.
He added: “The extreme persecution of six months suspension unjustly imposed on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, contrary to the Rules of the Senate, is more than enough and the PDP stands with the people of Kogi Central and all well-meaning Nigerians in condemning this unwarranted renewed attack on Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.
“Our party strongly cautions the Clerk of the National Assembly to withdraw the said letter and play by the rules by being neutral as a bureaucrat and not allow himself to be politically entangled and used as a tool to undermine democracy and the rule of law in the National Assembly and Nigeria.”
Ologunagba condemned what he described as the “use of bureaucratic tools to hound opposition voices in the Senate,” warning that such acts amount to an erosion of democratic norms and a drift toward authoritarianism.
He said: “The persecution of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is not just an attack on one lawmaker, but a dangerous signal to every Nigerian that opposition voices can be silenced at will.
“The APC-led Senate is not only suffocating democracy, but also deepening the culture of intimidation against women in politics.”
Lawyer faults Senate’s position
A lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who faulted the Senate’s position, described it as “an act of lawlessness” and “a scandalous assault on common sense and the sensibility of Nigerians.”
The lawyer, who spoke on a national television, said the Senate was deliberately fabricating a controversy that had no legal basis.
Effiong said: “The whole controversy and personalisation of the issue has now been vividly demonstrated by what is imprudently an act of lawlessness on the part of the Senate.
“You cannot say that somebody who has served the punishment apportioned to her exhaustively for six months should still be kept out of the chamber simply because there is a pending appeal. That is witchcraft logic.”
He dismissed suggestions that the six months should be calculated only on legislative sitting days, insisting that “no sensible parliament can manufacture a different calendar to determine suspension.”
Effiong maintained that the resolution passed by the Senate on June 3 clearly spelt out the terms of the suspension, which had elapsed.
He added: “It will be the act of silliness for the Senate to say they are going to calculate the six months based on legislative sitting days. Even the letter from the Clerk to Senator Natasha did not put forward that argument.”
Effiong aligned with the position of the PDP, which has directed the senator to resume.
He said: “If I were her lawyer, I would accompany her to the Senate to resume her legislative functions. There is no basis in law, morality or common sense to keep her out any longer.”
Effiong warned that the Senate risks turning the country into a laughing stock before the international community, describing the action as “insidious and profoundly embarrassing.”