Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Kogi Central has completed a six-month suspension handed down by the Senate on March 6, 2025, for allegedly violating Senate rules.
The suspension stemmed from her accusations of sexual harassment against Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, which she claims led to the politically motivated disciplinary action.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan had accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, after a heated confrontation in the Senate and the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions found her guilty of misconduct and recommended the suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was barred from legislative activities, accessing the National Assembly complex, and using official resources, including security details, who were subsequently withdrawn from her.
She has consistently maintained that the suspension was unjust and invalidates the principles of natural justice, fairness, and equity.
In July, she stormed the National Assembly complex in an attempt to enforce a judgment by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which she claimed ordered the Senate to recall her.
However, the suspension effectively denied the people of Kogi Central representation in the Senate for six months, raising questions about the limits of the Senate’s disciplinary powers and the protection of lawmakers’ rights.
