The National Assembly’s upper chamber has directed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) to refrain from participating in its sittings, insisting that her suspension remains in force.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Senate spokesman Senator Yemi Adaramodu said there is “no subsisting court order” compelling the Senate to reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan before her suspension lapses.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended in March for allegedly flouting Senate rules during a heated seating-arrangement altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, whom she had accused of sexual misconduct—an allegation the Senate President has consistently denied.
Last week, the suspended senator cited a Federal High Court ruling by Justice Binta Nyako in Abuja as the basis for her plan to re-enter the chamber on Tuesday, July 22. She had secured an interlocutory judgment that she argued entitled her to resume duties immediately.
But Adaramodu countered that the court’s judgment contained “no positive or mandatory order” for an early recall, describing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s intended return as “surprising and legally untenable.”
“It is therefore surprising and legally untenable that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, while on appeal and having filed a motion for stay against the valid and binding orders made against her, is attempting to act upon an imaginary order of recall that does not exist,” the spokesman said.
He cautioned the lawmaker against any attempt to “storm the Senate” under a false premise, warning that such action “would not only be premature but also undermine the dignity of the Senate and violate due process.”
Adaramodu reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to the rule of law, stating that the leadership would, “at the appropriate time, consider the advisory opinion of the court on both amending the Standing Orders of the Senate and her recall, and communicate same thereof to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.”
“Until then,” he concluded, “she is respectfully advised to stay away from the Senate chambers and allow due process to run its full course.”
