Photo caption: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Tuesday praised her constituents in Kogi Central for their steadfast support during what she described as a period of “unscrupulous intimidation.”
The lawmakers gave the commendation in a terse statement issued to journalists after she attended her first plenary session in six months.
The statement read, “My attendance at plenary today is a testament of resilience by the good people of Kogi Central and Nigerians, especially their courage to resist every unscrupulous intimidation.
“While averting Hon Rifkatu Danna’s dilemma, our victory is the people’s and God.
“I recommit myself to continued service to my constituents and country while trust the courts to be fair and swift in adjudicating the matters before them.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return marked the end of a bitter standoff that began on March 6, 2025, when she was suspended for alleged misconduct after protesting what she called an “unjust reassignment” of her Senate seat by President Godswill Akpabio.
The lawmaker insisted she had “no apology to tender.”
Her office, sealed for months, was only reopened two weeks ago by the Sergeant-at-Arms after sustained pressure from her legal team, which maintained that she had served her full six-month suspension and could not be barred from resuming plenary duties.
The Senate, which reconvened on Tuesday after a two-week extension of its annual recess, had faced public scrutiny over whether the outspoken Kogi lawmaker would be allowed back on the floor.
Though efforts to reach Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu and the media aide to the Senate President for comment proved unsuccessful, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return appears to have ended one of the most contentious disciplinary episodes of the 10th Assembly — at least for now.
