The leadership of the Senate of the National Assembly, has finally bowed to pressure and unsealed the office of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
The Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly led a team of security personnel from different agencies to unsealed the office located in suite 2.05 of the Senate wing.
The Senator Godswill Akpabio-led Senate had through the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, insisted that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan cannot resume after completing her six-month suspension owing to a pending matter in the Court of Appeal which had no direct bearing with her suspension.
With the unsealing of her office, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will now have access to her office and the National Assembly premises with the expectation to resume her legislative duties and representation of Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The cerebral and ebullient lawmaker was suspended for six months by the Senate for alleged breaches against its standing rules.
The suspension however, sparked controversy, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Afenifere faulting the Senate’s decision and demanding her reinstatement.
The NLC particularly described the Senate’s decision as “unfair, undemocratic, and a dangerous precedent for Nigeria’s democracy”.
The development comes after a court held that the six-month suspension by the Senate was excessive and unconstitutional.
Despite this, the Senate had maintained that Akpoti-Uduaghan could not resume her duties without a fresh resolution or a definitive court order.
The legal team of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has however, maintained that the outcome of her case will depend on further court proceedings, stressing that the Kogi Central Senator is not a flight risk and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the dictates of the law of the land.
