Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has been suspended from the Senate for six months, effective March 6, 2025, over alleged misconduct and breach of the Senate’s 2023 (as amended) standing rules.
The suspension followed the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen.
Presenting the committee’s findings before the chamber, Senator Imasuen stated that Akpoti-Uduaghan had failed to comply with Senate regulations and disregarded the committee’s authority by refusing to honor its invitation.
Listing the committee’s recommendations, he declared:
- Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is to be suspended for six months for violating Senate standing rules and bringing the presiding officer and the institution into public disrepute.
- Any reconsideration of her suspension will be contingent on her submission of a formal written apology to the Senate.
- The suspension, effective March 6, 2025, bars her from all legislative activities.
- Her office will remain sealed throughout the suspension period, and she must return all Senate properties in her possession to the Clerk of the National Assembly.
- She and her staff are prohibited from accessing the Senate and National Assembly premises during the suspension.
- While her salaries, allowances, and security details are to be withdrawn, her aides’ salaries and allowances were later exempted from this measure following an amendment.
- During the suspension, she is forbidden from representing herself as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, both locally and internationally.
After an intense debate, the Senate adopted the recommendations via a voice vote, with the only modification being the exemption of her aides’ salaries from suspension.
Senator Natasha briefly challenged the decision, asserting that the injustice against her would not stand, before being escorted out of the chamber.
