My suspension from Senate was scripted – Natasha
By Jeffrey Agbo
Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has described her March 6 suspension from the Nigerian Senate as politically driven and carefully orchestrated.
In an interview released on Saturday, May 31, 2025, on Adeola Fayehun’s YouTube channel, Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her rights as a legislator were violated and accused the Senate President Godswill Akpabio of abusing his office.
She said, “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 Rules—a 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.”
READ MORE: North has to support south west in 2027 – Shehu Sani
The lawmaker claimed the situation escalated after she refused to comply with undisclosed demands allegedly made by the Senate President, which she suggested were political in nature.
“He has no authority to unilaterally suspend any senator on the floor. The way he handled it—like I was a staff member in his living room—was not only unlawful but also degrading,” she said. “My reaction was in response to a decision he had clearly already made.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan also disclosed that her suspension came just one day after she filed a formal petition against the Senate leadership, suggesting a clear link between the two events.
“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 said.
