The Godswill Akpabio-led Senate on Tuesday unsealed the office of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Peoples Democratic Party, Kogi Central) and granted her full access to the National Assembly complex.
The office 205 in the Senate wing was unsealed by the Deputy Director of the Sergeant-at-Arms, Alabi Adedeji, backed by combined security personnel, potentially paving the way for the Kogi Central Senator to return to the Red Chamber when plenary resumes on October 7, 2025.
“To unseal Senator Natasha Akpoti’s office, I, Alabi Adedeji, Deputy Director, Sergeant-at-Arms, hereby unseal the office,” said the Sergeant-at-Arms before unlocking the door to the office, which had been under seal for six months.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose office had been under lock and key for weeks following a leadership dispute, will now be allowed entry after the Senate leadership resolved the lingering issues surrounding her seat.
The development comes amid mounting pressure from civil society groups and political stakeholders who had faulted the restriction as undemocratic.
With her office now unsealed, Akpoti-Uduaghan can access the National Assembly premises, potentially paving the way for her to resume her legislative duties.
READ ALSO: Tension as Akpabio’s Senate Blocks Senator Natasha’s Resumption at National Assembly
Recall that the embattled then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, Akpoti-Uduaghan, was in March slammed with a six-month suspension by the Senate, which also barred her from participating in all activities of the 10th Senate over her alleged misconduct when she protested against the reassignment of her seat by Akpabio on February 20, 2025.
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension ended in September 2025, but she has been unable to resume her duties due to ongoing legal issues and continued opposition from the Senate leadership. Perhaps because of the extended recess, we will see how it plays out as the Senate resumes plenary sessions.
Following her suspension, she took her case to the courts to vacate the suspension, as she was not successful, and the Senate, on its part, spoke through its relevant officers, insisting that the matter had nothing to do with sexual allegations, but everything to do with Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s contravention of the Senate Standing Orders as amended.
Binta Nyako, Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in July, described the six-month suspension as excessive and unconstitutional, and thereafter ordered the Senate to recall the embattled Senator, citing that suspending a Senator for such a long period would expose constituents to non-representation during that time.
Thereafter, she attempted to return to the Senate but was denied access, and the Senate stood its ground, insisting that she serve her full term.
Also, recall that the Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Kamorudeen Ogunlana, wrote to her through the Acting Clerk to NASS, Yahaya Danzaria, who notified her that her six-month suspension subsists until the Court of Appeal delivers judgment in the suit she instituted against the Senate.
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