Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has officially resumed her duties at the National Assembly, days after a Federal High Court nullified her six-month suspension and her previously sealed office was reopened. The return marks a significant shift in position following legal challenges and widespread criticism of her suspension, which many deemed politically motivated.

The senator, representing Kogi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had been suspended since March 6, 2025, over alleged breaches of the Senate's standing rules. The Senate leadership had accused her of "unparliamentary conduct," with reports suggesting the row stemmed from a sitting arrangement. However, rights groups and political observers consistently described the sanction as politically motivated, citing her rising influence, activism, and confrontations with powerful interests.

A landmark ruling by the Federal High Court on July 4 declared the suspension unlawful, excessive, and unconstitutional. The court emphasized that no legislative chamber possesses the power to unilaterally deny an elected representative their constitutional duties without due process. Despite this ruling, the National Assembly initially prevented her resumption on September 9, insisting the suspension was still subject to litigation.

Her resumption on Tuesday saw her march from a trial court in Abuja with hundreds of supporters to the National Assembly complex. While they passed the main gate with ease, resistance was met at the second entrance, known as Nupo Gate, where security forces attempted to stop them. Eventually, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was granted entry along with a few supporters, while others gathered at the citizens’ arena.

She proceeded directly to her office, Suite 205 in the Senate Wing, which had been unsealed earlier in the day under the supervision of the Office of the Serjeant-at-Arms and other security operatives. Addressing journalists, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan reflected on her six-month ordeal, describing it as politically motivated and marred by blackmail. She firmly stated she owed no apology to anyone in the Senate leadership for any alleged misconduct, asserting, “We can’t calm down in the face of injustice. No one is more Nigerian than us. Senator Akpabio is not more of a senator than I am. He’s not a governor of this place. And he treated me, he treated me as if I was his servant or I was a domestic staff in his house.”

Civil society organizations, including the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), welcomed her resumption as a restoration of justice and urged the Attorney-General of the Federation to end her ongoing cybercrime trial, which they described as political persecution. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also reacted, commending the triumph of reason and stating that Nigerians can overcome tyranny through unity. Abubakar criticized what he termed the Tinubu administration’s strategy to