The Traffic

Suspension Holds as Senate Recesses: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Locked Out Until September
Abuja 

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attempt to return to the Senate has hit yet another wall, as the Red Chamber officially entered its annual recess on Thursday—effectively ensuring she serves out the remainder of her controversial suspension without reprieve.

The Senate adjourned plenary until September 23, 2025, a date that lands two weeks after the expiration of the Kogi lawmaker’s six-month suspension, initially scheduled to end on September 6. With no plenary before then, her return to active legislative duty is on hold—despite her legal challenge and attempts to re-enter the chamber earlier this week.

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6, 2025, following a heated confrontation during plenary on February 20, where she allegedly defied Senate directives over a change to her seat. The suspension, recommended by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, cited “gross misconduct and insubordination.”

The Senate had warned her to issue a formal apology to avoid further sanctions—a condition she has firmly rejected.

“Even the suspension ab initio was fraudulent—the document was faulty,” she told journalists on Tuesday. “I will meet with my legal team to proceed to the appellate court for an interpretation. I am a law-abiding citizen.”

She also accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of overstepping his bounds, saying the leadership was suppressing her voice.

Akpoti-Uduaghan Delayed at Airport
The political tension surrounding the senator took an unexpected turn last Thursday, when she was briefly stopped by immigration officials at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while trying to board a British Airways flight to London.

According to a family source, immigration officers informed her that she had been placed on a watch list at the request of National Assembly leadership, who reportedly viewed her as a "flight risk."

“She was told that the Senate leadership asked that she be flagged. But there’s no court order restricting her movement,” the source said. “She’s never missed a court date. Why this treatment?”

Witnesses at the scene said Akpoti-Uduaghan appeared visibly shaken, making frantic calls before being cleared to travel. The senator later confirmed the incident herself:

“My passport was flagged. I was delayed for nearly 30 minutes, but I eventually boarded. The aircraft is about to take off,” she told Naija News.

Senate Break Halts All Plenary Activities—But Not Committee Work
Announcing the recess on the Senate floor, President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio said the break was in line with the legislative calendar and mirrored the House of Representatives’ earlier adjournment.

“This is not a time to rest. It is time for committee work and national oversight,” he told senators, urging them to embark on field visits across the country and deliver comprehensive reports upon resumption.

Akpabio also announced the death of Prof. Janet Plang, wife of Senator Diket Plang. Arrangements were made for senators to attend the funeral in Plateau State on Friday, with a chartered flight scheduled for 8 a.m.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion to defer all pending matters until after the recess, which was unanimously adopted.

As the Red Chamber empties out for recess, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan remains on the political sidelines—battling for reinstatement, legal clarity, and political redemption in what many observers now see as one of the Senate’s most contentious disciplinary sagas in recent history.

By Haruna Yakubu Haruna