JUST IN; Natasha’s office in the Senate reopened

Indications on Tuesday suggested that the standoff between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) and Senate President Godswill Akpabio may soon be resolved as the Sergeant-at-Arms and security personnel reopened her office in the Senate wing

The development restores Akpoti-Uduaghan’s access to both her office and the National Assembly complex, potentially clearing the way for her full return to legislative duties.

According to Vanguard, the decision to unseal the office was reached during a Senate leadership meeting on Monday. The plan, sources revealed, is for Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) to move a motion requesting Akpoti-Uduaghan’s apology, after which it would be seconded and adopted once plenary resumes on October 7, 2025.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who once chaired the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, was suspended for six months in March after protesting the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio. Though the suspension expired in September, she was repeatedly blocked from resuming her duties, citing unresolved legal and administrative hurdles.

In July, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ruled that the suspension was excessive and unconstitutional, ordering her reinstatement to ensure her constituents were not left without representation. The Senate, however, insisted she must serve the full suspension term.

Her counsel, Michael Jonathan Numa (SAN), subsequently wrote to the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), warning of contempt proceedings and other legal steps if she was not recalled.

In response, CNA Kamorudeen Ogunlana stated through his Director of Information, Bullah Audu Bi-Allah, that his office lacked the authority to override Senate resolutions, stressing that only the Senate could determine her return.

With her office now reopened and the leadership signaling a possible compromise, attention is focused on the October 7 plenary, where the matter may finally be resolved.

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