The National Assembly on Tuesday unsealed the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, marking the end of her six-month suspension from legislative duties.
The office, located in Suite 2.05 of the Senate Wing, was reopened by Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director of the Sergeant-at-Arms. “To unseal Senator Natasha Akpoti’s office, I, Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, hereby unseal the office,” he declared before unlocking the door that had been sealed since March.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, was suspended in March 2025 following recommendations from the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, which accused her of violating standing rules. The suspension stripped her of aides, salaries, and access to her office, sparking backlash from civil society groups and opposition politicians.
In July, the lawmaker challenged her suspension in court but failed in her initial bid to resume sitting. She has, however, served out the suspension and earlier this month wrote to the Senate announcing her intention to return.
The Senate, in response, acknowledged her letter but insisted it would not take administrative action on her resumption until the pending court case is concluded. “The matter remains sub judice, and until the judicial process is concluded, no administrative action can be taken to facilitate your resumption,” the Senate stated.
Despite this, Tuesday’s reopening of her office paves the way for her return when plenary resumes on October 7.
Earlier in the day, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared at the FCT High Court over a defamation case filed against her by the Federal Government on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello. After the hearing, she was accompanied by a large crowd of supporters to the National Assembly, where they marched in celebration of the unsealing of her office.
The Senator has repeatedly linked her suspension to a petition in which she accused Senate President Akpabio of sexual harassment—an allegation the Senate dismissed. She maintains that a court judgment has since ruled in her favour.
