The Nigerian Senate, on Thursday, adjourned plenary until September 23, 2025, for its annual recess, effectively ensuring that embattled Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will serve out the remainder of her six-month suspension without returning to the chamber.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended on March 6, 2025, following a heated exchange during plenary over her refusal to change seats, had expected to resume after the expiration of her six-month suspension period on September 6.
However, with the Senate now on recess until September 23, she will not have the opportunity to rejoin plenary before that date, despite insisting on Tuesday that her suspension was both “fraudulent” and “contemptuous.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan told journalists, “Even the suspension ab initio was fraudulent; the document was faulty.
“I will have a meeting with my legal team so they can proceed to the appellate court to seek an interpretation of what just happened. I am a law-abiding citizen.” She also accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of acting unilaterally, alleging he overstepped his authority in enforcing the suspension.
Announcing the recess, Akpabio said the adjournment aligns with the National Assembly legislative calendar, adding that the House of Representatives had already proceeded on its break.
“We have started a new calendar that will take us to next year, June. And so it has fallen within this period for us to go on for a break to enable us to undertake major oversights,” he stated on the Senate floor.