By Abiola Olawale
Suspended Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has declared her resolve to resume her legislative duties in the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
Speaking with her constituency during a training programme on Saturday, Akpoti-Uduaghan confirmed she had written to the Senate to formally announce her intention to return.
She said: “I have pretty much two months more before the six months expire. However, I have written to the Senate again telling them that I’m resuming on the 22nd, which is on Tuesday, by the special grace of God.
“I will be there, because the court did decide on that. Now, they argue that it’s an order, it’s not an order, but it is a decision.”
The New Diplomat reports that this comes after the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, ruled on July 4, 2025, that the six-month suspension imposed on Akpoti-Uduaghan in March was “excessive, unconstitutional, and a violation of her constituents’ rights.”
The court ordered her immediate reinstatement, citing procedural flaws in the Senate’s disciplinary action.
Despite the court’s decision, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio filed an 11-ground appeal on July 14, 2025, at the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, arguing that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over internal Senate matters.
Akpabio’s legal team contended that the suspension is protected under the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and the 1999 Constitution’s Section 251.
They further argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan failed to exhaust internal Senate remedies, such as the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, before seeking judicial intervention.
