The Nigerian Senate has reopened the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, restoring her access to the National Assembly ahead of the chamber’s scheduled resumption on October 7, 2025.
Security officials, including the Sergeant-at-Arms and other operatives, on Tuesday unlocked Office 205 in the Senate Wing, which had remained sealed since her suspension in March. The move follows weeks of pressure from civil society groups, legal practitioners, and political stakeholders who described the prolonged restriction as unconstitutional.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was suspended for alleged misconduct during a plenary session. Her sanction, which stripped her of salary, security, and legislative privileges, officially expired in September. However, access to her office remained restricted until Monday’s leadership decision to lift the blockade.
Parliamentary sources disclosed that a motion is expected to be moved when plenary resumes to formally reinstate the senator. Observers say the development marks a turning point in the standoff between the lawmaker and the Senate leadership.
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Her suspension had generated widespread criticism, with Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja earlier ruling that the measure was “excessive and unconstitutional.”
The unsealing of her office signals a likely return to full legislative duties for Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, whose case has drawn national attention and revived debates about internal disciplinary powers of the legislature.