Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has returned to the Senate after months of suspension.
She criticized Senate President Godswill Akpabio, renewing attention on leadership disputes and power struggles in Nigeria’s upper chamber.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central resumed legislative duties on Tuesday after a protracted suspension, launching a scathing attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she described as a “dictator.”
Her return followed the formal unsealing of her office (Suite 2.05, Senate Wing) by the Deputy Director of the National Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji. In a video circulated Tuesday, Adedeji declared: “The office is hereby unsealed.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had been barred from the Red Chamber since March 6, 2025, insisted she had “no apology to tender” to the Senate leadership.
Reflecting on her ordeal, the senator said:
“It is amazing what we had to pass through, from the unjust suspension to blackmail. But we survived. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He is not the governor of this place, yet he treated me as if I were domestic staff. It is unfortunate that a National Assembly is run by such a dictator. It is unacceptable.”
She credited her resilience to family and constituents, thanking her supporters in Kogi Central and beyond.
It remains unclear whether Akpoti-Uduaghan’s return grants her full privileges, including the right to sit in plenary alongside her colleagues. With plenary not resuming until October 7, the standoff between her and Senate leadership could still play out on the chamber floor.
