EXPIRATION OF SUSPENSION: PDP kicks as Senate denies Natasha resumption

•Why she can’t resume yet —NASS

•PDP slams Akpabio, Senate leadership

By Henry Umoru & Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA—THE main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has berated Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over the National Assembly’s move to stop Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, (PDP, Kogi Central) from returning to the Senate after the expiration of her six-month suspension.

The Senate will resume from two months recess on September 23.

On September 4, 2025, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended on March 6, wrote to the leadership of the Assembly, notifying them of her plan to resume.

However, in a reply signed by the Acting Clerk to the National Assembly, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, she was informed that her suspension was still active and tied to a pending case at the Court of Appeal.

Piqued by the Senate move, the PDP, yesterday, accused the Senate President and the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Senate leadership of trying to stop Akpoti-Uduaghan from returning to the Senate after serving a six-month suspension, saying the move was aimed at denying the people of Kogi Central senatorial district their voice in the National Assembly and weakening the opposition.

The senator had earlier gone to court to challenge her suspension, which began on March 6, 2025, after she clashed with Senate President Akpabio over seating arrangements during plenary.

Court ruling

The Federal High Court had ruled in favour of the Senate, prompting her to seek redress at the appellate court.

According to the National Assembly, no administrative action will be taken until the Court of Appeal delivers its decision.

It stressed that her suspension cannot be reviewed until the judicial process was fully concluded.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was assured that she would be officially informed of the Senate’s final position once the case is resolved.

The letter read: “The matter, therefore, remains subjudice, and until the judicial process is concluded and the Senate formally reviewed the suspension in the light of the court’s pronouncement.

”No administrative action can be taken by this office to facilitate your resumption. You will be duly notified of the Senate’s decision on the matter as soon as it is resolved.”

PDP accuses Akpabio of plot to bar Natasha from senate

Reacting to the issue, the PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, condemned reports that the Clerk of the National Assembly had issued a letter barring Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from resuming her duties.

“This reported action by the Clerk of the National Assembly smacks of a calculated attempt being orchestrated by the Akpabio-led APC Senate leadership to abridge the right of representation of the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District and deny them a voice at the highest law-making body in the country,” the statement read.

The PDP said this move violated the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Standing Rules of the Senate. It described it as a serious threat to democracy and national stability.

“The attempt to use the National Assembly establishment against an elected Senator is highly provocative and constitutes a direct assault on the rule of law and democratic governance,” Ologunagba stated.

The opposition party also accused the APC of using state institutions to silence opposition voices in the country.

“It also comes as part of the antics being deployed severally by the APC-controlled Senate and the Federal Government to suffocate the opposition, which further confirms the creeping totalitarianism in our country under the APC government,” the PDP said.

The statement further linked the action to what it described as attacks on women in politics, recalling allegations of harassment against women levelled at Senate President Akpabio.

“The reported action against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan further brings to the fore the allegations of attacks on the rights of women and sustained attempts to stifle their voices, as witnessed in the various accusations of harassment against women levelled against the current Senate President over the years,” Ologunagba said.

The PDP urged Akpabio to address these allegations directly instead of allegedly using his office to intimidate Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“The Senate President should come clean on these allegations instead of seeking to use the National Assembly establishment to further harass, intimidate and keep Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan away from the Senate,” the statement added.

The party said Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension was unjust and excessive, adding that blocking her return would be a fresh attack on democracy.

It also warned the Clerk of the National Assembly to stay neutral and not be drawn into politics.

“Our Party strongly cautions the Clerk of the National Assembly to play by the rules by being neutral and not allow himself to be politically entangled and used as a tool to undermine democracy and the rule of law,” Ologunagba said.

The PDP called on the international community, democracy institutions, and human rights groups to speak out against the move, and urged Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to go ahead and resume her duties and not be intimidated.

“While charging Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to discountenance the reported letter, the PDP demands that the Senate leadership ensures she is allowed to resume and perform her roles as an elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria unhindered,” the statement added.

The post EXPIRATION OF SUSPENSION: PDP kicks as Senate denies Natasha resumption appeared first on Vanguard News.