Senate President Godswill Akpabio has shed light on the controversy surrounding the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, saying the matter could have been resolved quietly if she had offered a simple public apology.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, was suspended from the Senate in March 2025 over alleged misconduct. Since then, she has made two failed attempts to return to plenary, insisting that a Federal High Court judgment had nullified her suspension.
However, Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Kenny Okolugbo, clarified in a statement on Monday that the court never explicitly ordered her reinstatement.
He said Ground 23 of the appeal in the case Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan v. Clerk of the National Assembly & Others only noted that the court considered the suspension “excessive” and beyond the scope of Section 63 of the 1999 Constitution, but did not nullify the decision.
“This clearly shows that her claim of being reinstated by the court is misleading,” Okolugbo stated.
He added that the Senate leadership had considered lifting the suspension if the senator had issued a formal apology.
“All she needed to do was apologise, and the suspension would have been lifted. Even the Brekete Family advised her to do so, but she declined,” he said.
Okolugbo also criticised her attempt to resume sitting on July 22, describing it as a media performance.
“She arrived with supporters and camera crews like it was a political show. The Senate is not a reality TV platform. There are rules guiding its operation,” he said.
He maintained that the Senate had not received any formal court order instructing the senator’s reinstatement and would have responded accordingly through due process if such had been received.
According to him, the suspension was not politically or gender motivated, but carried out within the powers of the Senate as enshrined in Section 60 of the Constitution and guided by the Senate Standing Orders.
Despite Akpoti-Uduaghan’s absence, Okolugbo assured that legislative representation for Kogi Central has not suffered. He noted that work is still ongoing on some of her sponsored bills, including one to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Ihima.
He, however, cautioned against politicising the issue and warned of the potential harm it could cause to women’s representation in politics.
