Senator Natasha Alleges Suspension Was Scripted Retaliation, Not Disciplinary Action

Suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has claimed that her removal from the Senate chamber was not spontaneous but a calculated move to silence her.

Speaking during a recent interview with journalist Adeola Fayehun, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the suspension as a “pre-written script,” alleging that Senate President Godswill Akpabio acted beyond his legal authority.

“The narrative out there is that I disrupted proceedings because of a seating dispute. That’s simply not true,” she clarified. “What I did was raise a matter of privilege under Chapter 4, Item 9b of the Senate Rules — a legitimate procedure that requires urgent attention.”

According to her, the events that followed were anything but procedural.

“Instead of addressing the matter, the Senate President ordered my removal, instructed the Clerk to draft a suspension letter, and effectively shut me down,” she said. “That was not a reaction to my conduct — it was a decision made ahead of time.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan criticized Akpabio’s handling of the situation, accusing him of treating the Senate chamber like his personal domain.

“The suspension was not only unlawful, it was demeaning,” she added. “No single senator, not even the President of the Senate, has the authority to suspend a colleague unilaterally.”

She further alleged that the cited ethics report used to justify her suspension was merely a cover for retaliation. According to her, she had submitted sensitive allegations that “shook the system,” and her suspension came almost immediately afterward.

“I was silenced because I spoke out,” she concluded.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension has sparked debate within political circles, with questions now being raised about due process, legislative independence, and the balance of power within Nigeria’s upper chamber.