Heightened tensions erupted at the entrance of the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Tuesday when security personnel refused entry to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently suspended from representing Kogi Central. Arriving in the company of prominent activist Aisha Yesufu, rights defender Mama P, activist Randy, and a sizable group of supporters, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was met with a blockade enforced by security operatives.
Attempts at negotiation became heated when Aisha Yesufu, determined to mediate, confronted the officers at the gate, vocally challenging their instructions that obstructed Natasha’s entry. “National Assembly is meant to be for everyone. Why are you stopping us? We are not abiding doesn’t mean we are cowards,” Yesufu declared, underscoring the mood of defiance among the crowd.
With supporters chanting “Push!” and beginning to agitate for access, the standoff escalated. Many in the group began marching toward the National Assembly complex as Akpoti-Uduaghan’s frustration deepened.
Following her denial, Akpoti-Uduaghan spoke candidly to journalists about her grievances, particularly in the context of a recent favorable court verdict. “It’s about me, a duly elected senator walking into the chambers to resume my constitutional duties. I had duly notified the Senate through two letters that I would be resuming functions today, July 22nd, 2025,” she emphasized.
Her concerns were twofold: the heavy presence of armed police and the Senate’s refusal to comply with judicial directives. “The number of armed policemen we met outside, all well-kitted with guns, charging at an unarmed female senator, was shocking,” she observed. “The second thing is the fact that the Senate, under its leadership, has decided to become lawbreakers by denying my entrance into the chambers to resume my duties.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan also took the opportunity to dispute misleading narratives in the media regarding the court ruling. “There’s been some conversations in the media by their own team trying to twist a narrative that the judge did not order my reinstatement, and I’d like to clarify that,” she stated, citing Sections 318 and 287, Subsection 3 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution to assert that any court decision—including recommendations—remains binding.
Addressing claims that the Senate appealed the judgment, Akpoti-Uduaghan produced documents as evidence, clarifying, “It is clear that it is not the National Assembly, neither is it the Senate. It’s Senator Akpabio himself. The National Assembly has not appealed that judgment. The Senate has not appealed the judgment… That must be clarified, so there is no reason whatsoever, contrary to the publications I read yesterday, that I should not resume today because the Senate has appealed.”
As she departed with her supporters, Akpoti-Uduaghan pledged to pursue all available legal remedies to challenge the Assembly’s actions.
okay.ng reports.
