Embattled lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has alleged that her suspension from the Nigerian Senate on March 6 was premeditated and politically motivated.
The lawmaker, in an interview with Adeola Fayehun on her YouTube channel on Saturday, May 31, 2025, claimed that her rights as a legislator were violated, accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of overstepping his authority.
“The impression being circulated is that I caused a scene over my seat. That is false. I raised a matter of privilege under Chapter 4, Item 9b of the Senate Rulesâa provision that demands immediate attention. But the Senate President cut me off, ordered the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove me, and directed the Clerk to begin preparing my suspension letter. That wasn’t a reaction; it was a pre-written script,”; she stated.
Natasha further alleged that deeper political tensions arose when she refused to comply with what she described as the Senate President’s “demands”;.
“He has no authority to unilaterally suspend any senator on the floor. The way he handled itâlike I was a staff member in his living roomâwas not only unlawful but also degrading. My reaction was in response to a decision he had clearly already made.”;
The senator also disclosed that her suspension came just one day after she submitted a formal petition against the Senate leadership.
“I believe my suspension was retaliatory. The ethics report they cited was merely a smokescreen. I had submitted allegations that shook the system, and the next day, I was silenced,”; she alleged.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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