Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Tuesday resumed duties at the National Assembly, six months after she was suspended by the Senate.
The lawmaker representing Kogi Central returned to her office just hours after it was unsealed by National Assembly officials, declaring that she owed no apology to the Senate leadership for her actions.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who spoke during a media chat with journalists in her office, said if the unsealing of her office by the management of the National Assembly, and in particular the Senate, was meant to compel her to apologise, then “the battle has just begun.”
She said, “I feel happy and vindicated by having access to my office today for resumption of legislative duties after six months of illegal and unjust suspension.
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“I read in one of the national dailies today that the Senate met yesterday, where the Minority Leader was reportedly mandated to prevail on me on December 7, to tender an apology.
“If the report is true, it means the battle has just begun because I have no apology to tender to anybody for the wrong done to me and not me to anybody or the Senate.”
She added, “I’m actually worried as to what apology they expect from me. You can’t apologise for an injustice.
“And may I remind the good people of Nigeria that the document that led to my illegal suspension, which is the recommendation made by the Senator Neda Imasuen-led committee, was actually written by the office of the Senate President.
“The signatures that endorsed the recommendation were not willful signatures.”
Akpoti0Udusghan further lamented, “It was only an attendance sheet attached to the recommendation, read and used to pronounce my suspension, which to me is fraud.
“This is just one illegality upon the other, and I think in Nigeria we should reject such things.
“So if they are expecting me to apologise, and if that is the condition for opening this office, then I think we have a long way to go.”
She added that it was important to put institutions to the test in order not to be cowed by injustice.
“No one is more Nigerian than me and others,” she said.
“Akpabio is not more of a senator than me. He is not a governor of this place and cannot treat me as if I am one of his servants or a domestic staff in his house.”
The senator, however, expressed gratitude to Nigerians who stood by her during the period of suspension.
“From the unjust suspension to the recall, we survived.
“We survived the blockage of roads and waterways into Kogi, so we had to fly in using the helicopter. We survived the blackmail from the so-called woman or lady.
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“I give the Almighty God the glory and my deepest appreciation to the good people of Kogi Central and Nigerians at large, senior citizens Atiku Abubakar, Senator Bukola Saraki, Femi Falana, my beloved party PDP, the Labour Party, ADC, and of course, the media. I thank you all.”
Earlier in the day, at exactly 10:00 a.m., Alabi Adedeji, a deputy sergeant-at-arms, formally unsealed her office, located in Room 2.05 of the Senate Wing.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, following a recommendation by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen (Edo South).
The committee had found her guilty of unruly behaviour on the floor of the Senate on February 20, 2025, during her protest against seat reallocation ordered by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
