Senate lifts Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension, unseals office

After six months in political exile, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan returns to Senate, resuming her duties as the representative for Kogi Central. Consequently, the long-awaited reprieve arrived on Tuesday. The Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly, assisted by security personnel, officially unsealed her office, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing.

The Senate originally locked the office since March 6, 2025, when the Senate suspended the senator. However, the Deputy Director of the Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, was seen removing the red seal in a video shared on Tuesday. “I, Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, hereby unseal the office. The office is hereby unsealed. Thank you,” he declared in the video.

Specifically, the Kogi Senator’s suspension formally resulted from heated disagreements on the Senate floor. The dispute centered on a seating arrangement in the Red Chamber. Crucially, the suspension followed her serious and widely publicized allegations. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan had made allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. The Senate’s ethics committee dismissed her petition on procedural grounds. Indeed, critics argued the focus on “unruly and disruptive behaviour” over the seating arrangement was merely a pretext for the suspension.

A Statement of Resilience and Political Survival

Therefore, the lifting of her suspension has been widely hailed as a major political victory. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supporters, who accompanied her to the National Assembly complex, described the event as more than just a win for one woman. They saw it as a statement about resilience and political survival in Nigeria.

Known for her fiery contributions, Natasha consistently pushed issues of governance, equity, and the role of women in leadership throughout her brief time in the chamber. Nevertheless, critics argued that her style unsettled the establishment. Ultimately, the resolution of her suspension signals her determined return to her constitutional duties in the 10th Assembly.