… may be reinstated Oct 7 after public apology
Ahead the October 7 resumption of plenary by the National Assembly, fresh indications of ongoing reconciliation emerged on Tuesday as security operatives and the Sergeant-at-Arms unlocked the Senate Office 205 of embattled Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The reopening of Natasha’s office effectively restores her entry into the National Assembly complex, bringing to an end months of restricted access.
This is a strong indication that the lingering feud between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party and Senate President Godswill Akpabio is being resolved.
Parliamentary sources hinted that the Senate leadership reached the decision at a closed-door meeting on Monday.
It was learnt that when plenary resumes on October 7, a motion will be presented with Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro charged with formally moving for Natasha’s reinstatement after a public apology.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months in March 2025 following a heated protest over the reallocation of her seat on 20 February 2025.
She was subsequently removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs and barred from all 10th Senate activities for alleged breaches of the chamber’s Standing Orders.
Although her suspension technically lapsed in September, she remained locked out amid court battles and opposition from Senate leadership.
She challenged the sanction in court, but initial efforts to overturn it failed.
However, in July, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ruled that the lengthy suspension was “excessive and unconstitutional,” warning it left her constituents unrepresented.
But inspite of the judgment, the Senate insisted Natasha must serve the entire suspension period.
Legal pressure mounted earlier this month when her counsel, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), wrote to the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamorudeen Ogunlana, demanding her reinstatement by 15 September 2025 or face contempt and disciplinary proceedings.
Ogunlana responded that he lacked the constitutional authority to reverse Senate decisions, stressing that only the chamber itself could act on the matter.
A follow-up statement by NASS Information Director, Bullah Audu Bi-Allah reinforced that the CNA’s office is purely administrative and cannot override Senate resolutions.
