Dare Babalola
Victor Giwa, the counsel of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has revealed that the suspended lawmaker will return to the National Assembly later this month.
According to Giwa, the senator will resume plenary alongside her colleagues when the Senate reconvenes on September 23.
He told Punch that the senator, who was on vacation in London, has already made plans to resume with her colleagues after completing her six-month suspension.
“Actually, she’s ready to resume her term. She’s in London. Everything is in place, and the six months have expired. The only thing left is her resumption,” Giwa said.
On the whether the Senate leadership would accept her return to the chamber, the lawyer said, “We have been told that even the leadership of the Senate is ready to welcome her. So that’s the situation at the moment. There is no obstacle at all”.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended on March 6 following allegations of insubordination after she rejected a change of her designated seat during plenary.
The suspension, based on recommendations of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, also stripped her of aides, office privileges, and salaries.
The lawmaker had consistently argued that her ordeal was linked to her petition accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, a claim the Senate dismissed.
She later challenged her suspension in court, securing a judgment she said favoured her recall.
However, the Senate leadership maintained that she would remain suspended until the six-month penalty elapsed.
Her attempt to force her way back into the National Assembly in July ended in a standoff, as security operatives barred her entry despite a crowd of supporters rallying outside.
With the expiration of the suspension last Saturday, her lawyer maintained that pending legal disputes would not hinder her return.
“Everything will be resolved. Even the court cases will become like an academic exercise,” Giwa noted.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Senate leadership were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu and Akpabio’s media aide were not answered.
