NASS Bars Natasha From Resuming Senate Seat

The National Assembly (NASS) has informed suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, that she cannot resume her legislative duties yet after serving her six-month suspension.

According to the National Assembly bureaucracy, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension remains in effect as the case is still before the Court of Appeal.

It was earlier reported that after the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in favour of the Senate, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, dissatisfied with the judgment, approached the appellate court seeking redress.

In a letter dated September 4, 2025, and signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly (Ag. CNA), Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, the Parliament acknowledged receipt of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s notification of her intended return to the Senate on the same date, which she cited as the end of her six-month suspension.

However, the letter clarified that her suspension, effective from March 6, 2025, remains in force while the matter is subjudice.

“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,” the letter read.

Dr. Danzaria further assured that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan “will be duly notified of the Senate’s decision on the matter as soon as it is resolved.”

Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the Senate in March 2025 following an alleged misconduct involving a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat arrangements during a plenary session on the floor of the Red Chamber.

The letter emphasised that the Senate will only review her suspension after the Court of Appeal delivers its final judgement.