ABUJA — An independent lawyer, Teejani Jimoh, Esq., has urged the National Assembly to allow Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to resume her Senate duties after the expiry of a six-month suspension imposed on March 6, 2025.
In a statement, Jimoh noted that the suspension lapsed on September 6, 2025, and said the clerk’s office had told the senator she could not return because the matter is pending at the Court of Appeal.
Jimoh argued that, absent a court order staying the senator’s return, the expiry of a fixed-term suspension should permit her resumption of duties.
“In our view, the fixed suspension imposed on March 6 had expired by September 6. A pending appeal at the Court of Appeal, without a specific stay order, does not automatically prevent her from resuming,” Jimoh said.
Jimoh cited past judicial rulings that examined lengthy legislative suspensions and said those precedents support the principle that constituents should not be left without representation for extended periods.
He also referenced a July 2025 Federal High Court ruling in which a judge described the six-month suspension as excessive; that judgment did not, however, order an immediate recall.
The lawyer said he was appealing to the National Assembly to give effect to the expiry of the suspension and allow the courts to determine the legality of the original action on its merits. He added that allowing the senator to return would not pre-judge the pending appeal.
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