Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a suspended lawmaker, has been warned by the Senate to refrain from visiting its chambers and to give due process, rejecting her scheduled return on July 22, 2025, as early and unfounded.
Yemi Adaramodu, the Senate spokesperson, clarified in a statement on Sunday that no court order requires her to be recalled immediately. He claimed that the recent ruling by Justice Binta Nyako did not declare the suspension illegal, but rather provided a non-binding advisory that the Senate might examine it.
“The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to reaffirm, for the third time, that there is no subsisting court order mandating the Senate to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan before the expiration of her suspension,” the statement read in part,” the statement said.
“It is therefore surprising and legally untenable that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, while on appeal and having filed a motion for stay against the valid and binding orders made against her, is attempting to act upon an imaginary order of recall that does not exist,”
He continued by saying that, in contrast to the senator’s assertions, the Federal High Court only issued a non-binding advisory, recommending that the Senate reconsider its Standing Orders and reevaluate the suspension’s duration, which the court stated “may be excessive.”
Senator Natasha was found guilty of contempt, fined ₦5 million, and required to issue a public apology, all of which she has yet to do, according to Adaramodu.
The Senate reaffirmed that her suspension is still in effect and that any attempt to compel her to resume would be an abuse of its power and a violation of due process.
The statement warned, “We advise the Distinguished Senator to refrain from any attempt to storm the Senate next Tuesday under a false pretext, as doing so would not only be premature but also undermine the dignity of the Senate and violate due process,”
