Senator Natasha clarifies, says ‘suspension by senate was premeditated’

Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has spoken out about her controversial suspension from the Nigerian Senate on March 6, alleging that the move was premeditated and politically motivated.

In an interview with Adeola Fayehun on her YouTube channel on Saturday, May 31, 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed that her rights as a legislator were violated and accused Senate President of overstepping his authority.

“The impression being circulated is that I caused a scene over my seat. That is false,” she stated. “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.”

She further alleged that deeper political tensions arose when she refused to comply with what she described as the Senate President’s “demands.”

“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 revealed that her suspension came just one day after she submitted a formal petition against the Senate leadership.

“I believe my suspension was retaliatory,” she alleged. “The ethics report they cited was merely a smokescreen. I had submitted allegations that shook the system, and the next day, I was silenced.”