The National Assembly on Tuesday reopened the office of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central), signaling a possible end to her protracted feud with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Security personnel and the Sergeant-at-Arms unsealed Akpoti-Uduaghan’s office in the Senate wing, effectively restoring her access to the National Assembly complex ahead of plenary resumption on October 7, 2025.
The News Chronicle gathered that the Senate leadership reached a compromise during Monday’s meeting, paving the way for a motion that will require Akpoti-Uduaghan to issue an apology on the floor. The Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), is expected to move the motion.
Recall that the embattled Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March for six months after clashing with Akpabio over the reassignment of her seat, a move the Senate said violated its Standing Orders. Though her suspension elapsed in September, she was repeatedly denied access to resume, as legal battles with the Senate leadership dragged on.
In July, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ruled that the suspension was excessive and unconstitutional, ordering her recall. Despite that ruling, the Senate insisted she serve the full term, leading to further standoffs.
Her lawyer, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), had threatened contempt proceedings against the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamorudeen Ogunlana, if she was not reinstated. Ogunlana, however, maintained that only the Senate not his office could decide on her return.
With her office now reopened, attention shifts to the October resumption, where the Senate will decide whether Akpoti-Uduaghan can formally reclaim her seat and resume legislative duties.
