Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan could have avoided her prolonged face-off with the Senate by simply issuing a public apology.
The statement comes in the wake of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s ongoing legal battle over her suspension from the upper legislative chamber.
The lawmaker, who represents Kogi Central, was suspended for six months in March but attempted to resume plenary on two occasions, citing a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which she claimed nullified her suspension.
However, in a statement released on Monday, Akpabio’s aide, Kenny Okolugbo, challenged that narrative, stating that the appeal recently filed by the senator contradicted her public claims.
According to him, Ground 23 of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s appeal in the case Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan v. Clerk of the National Assembly & Ors shows that the Federal High Court did not explicitly nullify the suspension. The appeal contends that the trial judge, despite describing the suspension as excessive and ultra vires Section 63 of the Constitution, failed to expressly set it aside.
“This clearly shows that her public assertion that the court ordered her reinstatement is misleading,” Okolugbo stated. “All she needed to do was apologise publicly, and the suspension would have been lifted. Even the Brekete Family advised her to do so, but she refused.”
He accused the senator of staging a political spectacle when she arrived at the National Assembly on July 22, 2025, accompanied by supporters and media cameras.
“She invaded the National Assembly with street urchins in what was clearly a media stunt. The Senate is not a reality show. You don’t force your way into a constitutionally regulated chamber,” Okolugbo said.
He maintained that the Senate had received no official communication from the courts instructing a recall, and that due process—beginning with notification from the Clerk and internal deliberation—would have been followed if such a directive existed.
Reiterating that the suspension was not personal, Okolugbo said it was carried out in line with Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders. He also disclosed that legislative activity in Kogi Central was not hindered during the senator’s absence, citing continued progress on her bills, including one establishing a Federal Medical Centre in Ihima.
He also warned that the ongoing controversy could negatively impact female political participation.
“Nigeria has only four female senators. When one weaponises gender and distorts the truth, it undermines real struggles and damages credibility,” he added.
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