Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, has announced her intention to take her case to a higher court to understand the legal confusion surrounding her suspension from the Senate.
She expressed this after being denied entry to the National Assembly complex by security guards on Tuesday.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan tried to enter the National Assembly complex despite heavy security and arrived on foot from a nearby location, accompanied by supporters.
Her suspension is currently being challenged in court.
After parking her car outside the assembly, she walked through the main gate with a group of activists, including Aisha Yesufu.
Speaking to the press, she bravely stood in the rain and argued that her suspension was not only unfair but also poorly executed.
She stated that “the process that led to my suspension was not legitimate.
“The document that recommended my suspension wasn’t properly signed by committee members; it was just a photocopy of attendance records treated as signatures.”
She rejected claims that she should not return to work just because the Senate is appealing a ruling about her suspension.
“That’s not right. What I appealed was about being held in contempt of court, which is a separate issue,” she explained.
The senator clarified that the contempt matter arose from a lighthearted apology she made on social media, which, according to the judge, was inappropriate.
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However, she believes it shouldn’t count as contempt since the main issue before the court was about her suspension.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan noted that even if she chose to go home, she was aware that the National Assembly would start a two-month break soon.
“If we decide to leave and not come back, we know the assembly is likely going into recess tomorrow for two months.
They will return around the last week of September, which means I would have served my six-month suspension,” she said.
“But I want to make it clear: I believe I am no longer suspended, and that this whole situation has been mishandled from the start.”
