Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has been informed by the National Assembly (NASS) that she cannot yet resume her legislative duties, even after serving her six-month suspension. The National Assembly bureaucracy asserts that her suspension, which began on March 6, 2025, remains in effect as her case is still pending before the Court of Appeal.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had previously appealed to the appellate court after the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in favor of the Senate. On September 4, 2025, she notified the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly (Ag. CNA), Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, of her intention to return, citing the conclusion of her suspension. However, Dr. Danzaria's letter, also dated September 4, 2025, clarified that her suspension would persist while the matter is subjudice. The letter explicitly stated, “The matter, therefore, remains subjudice, and until the judicial process is concluded and the Senate formally reviews the suspension in the light of the court’s pronouncement, no administrative action can be taken by this office to facilitate your resumption.” Dr. Danzaria further assured that the Senator would be notified once the Senate makes a decision on the matter.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was initially suspended by the Senate in March 2025 following alleged misconduct related to a dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio over seat arrangements during a plenary session. During her suspension, she also made sexual harassment allegations against Senator Akpabio, a petition that was subsequently dismissed by the Senate Committee on Ethics after investigation.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to which Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan belongs, strongly condemned the National Assembly's decision to prevent her resumption. The party labeled her initial suspension as “unjust” and argued that denying her return further breached the rights of her constituents in the Kogi Central Senatorial District to be represented. According to Honourable Debo Ologunagba, PDP National Publicity Secretary, this action by the Clerk “smacks of a calculated attempt orchestrated by the Senator Akpabio-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate leadership to abridge the right of representation of the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District and deny them a voice at the highest law-making body in the country.”

The PDP further criticized the move as an attempt to use the National Assembly establishment against an elected Senator, violating the 1999 Constitution and Senate Standing Rules. They characterized it as a provocative act that endangers democracy and stability, and another example of the APC government’s efforts to suppress the opposition and foster totalitarianism. The party also suggested that this action highlighted